House of Hades  When Lightning Was Conquered
by Soozin Hevincarrr
Summary: It should've been a time of peace. Instead an old ally began reawakening past gods. With the Olympian counsil diminishing, something had to be done. Nico and a group of friends took up the challenge - unfortunately not all stories have a happy ending. R&R
1. A Lost Friend

**Hey guys! Sorry I took down the previous version of the story, it just wasn't working out how I wanted it too. And no one reviewed and gave me advice as how to improve it! Except Lemariz. So here's the sequel to Son of Time, rewritten! Nico's point of view now. Please review!**

**Chapter 1: A Lost Friend**

I sheathed my sword panting heavily. I glared at the plant, now chopped clean in half.

"You're kidding me Nico," Kyle said, "You're killing the plants."

"Who knows?" I said, "They might be poisonous."

"Last I checked, no one smuggled dangerous plants into supermarkets."

"Which was...?"

"Uh..."

"Exactly," I told him. The strange scratching sound started again, echoing through the empty store. I shushed Kyle and pushed forward. Kyle hefted his mace over his shoulder and followed me.

I peered around the toothpaste isle. Gunshot erupted in my ears. A rush of cold air passed by my face. I ducked my head back in the cover of the isle. Kyle was peering through the cracks in the shelf to see our attacker. There was another gunshot and Kyle jumped violently. He looked back at me and mouthed something about blue cheese, or trying to kill me.

"You're sure we evaded our pursuers?" a harsh deep voice asked.

"Not entirely," another said.

"We have to get this back to the Master and you know it! We have to be alive, remember?" There was a grunt of agreement and the scuttling noises moved away. I peered around the isle again. All I saw were the scorpion men disappearing around the corner, their lower scorpion body clicking against the ground with each step. I jogged after them.

I hid behind the back of an isle as the scorpion men headed towards the exit. I had no idea what they were doing, but I had a crazy feeling they needed to be stopped; so I crept after them, trying figure out where I should strike. The maroon lower half of the scorpion men looked harder than armour. Their weak point had to be their human torso and head. They drew closer to the automatic doors, too close to their escape route to be bothered turning behind them. I unsheathed my dagger and threw it at the automatic doors' sensor. An alarm blared and the doors slammed shut.

"Fools!" one of the scorpion men yelled, "You can't stand against us!" Kyle trotted along the tops of the isles to catch up with me.

"Where's Justin?" I asked, "We saw you with him bound moments ago."

"He's far from here by now," one replied.

"Probably dead," the other remarked, an evil smirk spreading over his toad-like face.

"I know he's not," I told him.

"You can't tell when someone's dead without seeing them," one laughed, seeming to think I was insane.

"My dad is Hades," I said plainly.

"Who?" they both asked.

"Bla-ah-ah!" Kyle started, clearly agitated, "Let's kill these guys and get out of here!"

"Kill?" one yelled outraged. He reared up on his back four legs and his tail hit the ground right in front of Kyle and I. Kyle charged forwards and climbed up the deadly tail. The tail was plucked from the ground and scorpion man started trying to shake Kyle off. The other scorpion-man pulled out a gun. Kyle was too busy having a good hack at his scorpion-man, so I went for the other one.

As I approached him, he fired randomly into the cold air, missing me each time. He gave up on the gun and unsheathed a large curved blade. I unsheathed my own sword and went for a jab straight at the heart. Scorpion-Man swiped it aside easily. He tried to push my blade to the ground, but I pushed on. I struggled against his force and when the time was right, ripped my sword away from his, sending Scorpion-Man falling forwards. As he fell he sent his armoured tail at me. I hit it aside with my sword, unsurprised that it failed to cut through the tail. The tail continued jabbing at me, each swipe I avoided by less and less space. Scorpion-Man regained grip on his sword and proper fighting stance. I spun to face his blade. There was a rush of air near my back and I had to throw myself left to avoid getting poisoned by the tail. His blade made a small cut in my arm as I fell. He gave a deep satisfied laugh, as he came over me. He poised his sword over his head, before he decided better and raised his jointed tail.

His tail stabbed down on me in record time, but I had a backup plan. Shadows whipped around me and took me away, well behind Scorpion-Man anyway. I stabbed my blade through his side. The unhealthy sound of ripping skin crawled through my ears. Scorpion-Man started chuckling loudly.

"You thought you could kill me?" he bellowed, "Fool!" He pulled my sword from his side letting black blood spurt freely from the deep wound. I was at a loss for words. The Doors of Death were closed, what could possibly be stopping them from dying? He advanced on me, flipping my sword over in his hand.

"Strange craftsmanship," he noted, "Much like the enemy. I have never seen metal such as this before today." I took his brief moment of distraction to kick him in the stomach and yank his sword out of hand. His sword weighed a ton so I dropped it and made a run for it. Scorpion-Man yelped in surprise more than pain and ran after me. I was just glad he had six extra legs to drag along, or I wouldn't have gained the lead I did.

I found Kyle chasing the other mutated scorpion around with his mace. The scorpion guy only had half a head left and had thousands of puncture wounds on his torso, every pore on his human side spewing dark blood.

"KYLE!" I called to him, "Get over here!" Kyle leaped over his opponent and ran towards me. I grabbed his wrist and shadows drowned us.

I hit the table heavily. I groaned and rubbed my head.

"Couldn't've picked somewhere better to land could ya'?" Kyle asked standing up from the ground. I sat up and met the hundreds of campers' eyes around me, all previously eating a peaceful meal and mingling happily.

"Don't interrupt my announcements Di Angelo," Mr D scolded, "I hate them enough already."

"Did you find him?" a girl from the Nemesis cabin asked.

"What does it look like?" Kyle responded. His face was covered in scorpion-man blood. The girl turned back to her plate of food. People began muttering anxiously.

"Great landing," Percy said, and I realised I was on his table.

"Oh," I started, "Sorry?"

"Will you all shut up?" Mr D yelled, "Flag Friday evening. You know what's happening! Darn it!" Mr D stormed away. Everyone stared in stunned silence. Mr D had never done that before, it was a wonder he hadn't tried that earlier. Chiron cleared his throat.

"You are dismissed," he decided. Everyone started leaving. Chiron fingered for me to go meet him.

I forced my way through the army of campers and made my way to Chiron. He looked down at me with much concern (which really doesn't boost one's self-esteem). He looked over at Kyle and signalled for him to come over also.

"Did you discover anything this time?" Chiron asked.

"For once," I said.

"How much closer are we to finding him?"

"Not very much," Kyle mumbled.

"What did you find out?"

"That some crazy scorpion guys want to take Justin to their leader," Kyle said.

"'Crazy scorpion guys'?" Chiron inquired.

"Like you," I explained, "Only scorpion instead of horse." Chiron took this into account.

"I've never heard of such creatures," he remarked, "Let alone seen them. Where did you find them?"

"We were searching around Medusa's old place and they just materialized out of nowhere," Kyle explained.

"The weird thing was they wouldn't die," I said, "They had life auras, the average sort, but for some reason they couldn't get hurt or anything. Stabbed him through the side and he came out fine, covered me in blood and stole my sword, but otherwise my attack had no other effect." Chiron scratched him bearded chin.

"Strange," he said, "I fear these creatures may pose a threat. They may also be out there to scare us and bring fear back into our hearts. You boys should head to bed. I believe you've had a tiring evening." He waved us off and we left him.

"Undead scorpion-men," Kyle muttered, "If we find any others, I'm just going to eat them." He spat some of the scorpion-man's thick, oily blood from his mouth.

"Well I know who to call when I want someone to be digested," I said. The bloodstains on my skin were thick and sticky, and much like a small cut, the blood was forming a harder coating.

"I'm going to have seven showers tomorrow," I decided, peeling a strip of the hardened blood from my arm, "And I might put in a special sacrifice to the god of hygiene as well."

"Great idea," Kyle agreed, "A nap also sounds good about now. So does coffee."

"Have you even had a coffee before?"

"No, but from Grover's description, it must be wonderful. I can do without though, I'm not a pansy satyr."

"You only smashed that scorpion guy's head in half today," I said, finding myself yawning.

"Have to teach English to Atlanta tomorrow," Kyle sighed, "I hate teaching. I should eat it." He picked up a chocolate wrapper and chewed it up to prove his point.

"Night Kyle," I yawned.

"Night." Kyle trotted away into the darkness.

I came back into my cabin. I didn't care I was covered in scorpion blood; I dropped onto my bed and closed my eyes.

Of course I being a half-blood made my dreams hate me.

**Has this worked out better than the old version? If you've read it. Otherwise review anyway please, tell me where I need to improve, or I have no way of knowing how to. If you haven't can you please read the sequel? I love reviews and I love my readers. Please review. The story will unfold more in the next chapter I promise. **


	2. An Empire Rising

**Well, that took me a long time. I'll try to update way more during the holidays. Hope you enjoy the chapter. It'd be great if you reviewed, like really extremely amazingly great. Next chapter things get extreme.**

**Chapter 2: Nightmares**

I found myself in what I thought a sandstorm would be like. I had to close my eyes to avoid getting tons of dust in them. Wind whipped at my face and clothes. It was unbearably dry and hot. The tiny grains of harsh sand that flew through the air brushed against my skin, covering me in scratches. I dared not breathe, in fear of inhaling the rough sand. I buried my face in my hands, trying to shield my face from the wind.

I crumpled to my knees and put my head on the scorching ground. It was hard for sure, but it was nothing I couldn't take. I'd been tortured only a month prior. I curled into a ball and held my eyes shut tightly, my hands protecting my ears. My nose was raw and stinging intensely.

"You're strong," a loud voice boomed over the roar of the winds. The voice made me want to give up my hope, to give up my efforts to survive. "But I've seen your weaknesses. You can't hide from time." I didn't answer; I was too busy trying to shield myself from the storm to give the voice the satisfaction of an answer. "I know your friends Son of Hades," the voice continued. I struggled to resist my urge to get up and scream at the voice. I would never allow anyone to hurt my friends. "I know who you love," the voice continued, ringing through my mind igniting angry fire. No one could threaten to hurt Atlanta, no one. I let out an angry yell, sand tearing at my mouth making me groan in pain.

"That's it Son of Hades," the voice continued, "I even know where your lost friend is." Pain suddenly seemed non-existent. I opened my eyes, ready to tear the voice's owner apart with my bare hands. I breathed heavily, wincing as sand tore at my body.

"Show yourself Zane!" I demanded, yelling as loud as possible, straining to raise my voice so high. "Show yourself coward! I know you took Justin!" There was no visible movement amongst the sand.

"Show yourself!" I screamed. I scanned the surrounding area. The wind started whipping around me more violently, circling around me. The dark sand formed a funnel around me, slowly closing in around me. I took a panicked breath in, but all I got was a mouthful of sand. I choked and fell to the ground, exerting all my energy into getting the oxygen I needed.

My lungs burned, seeming to be strangling themselves. I stared at the dark sky above me. My powers were useless during dreams. If it were real, I could've willed the shadows to whip me away, I could've willed the ground to swallow me and protect me; nothing would respond to me in dreams.

My body seemed to being pulling itself apart, pain pulsing through me with every beat of my anguished heart. The funnel ran over my hands. I could feel my flesh peeling away with the force of the coarse sand. The funnel overtook my arms, but my mind wouldn't revive me from my nightmare. The whirlwind of sand constricted around my entire body and once again, pure agony overcame me. I felt like I was on fire, slowly being eaten away by the sand around me. My mind failed to think. My energy left me under the strain of trying to keep my body alive.

The agony didn't leave. My lungs were still constricting around themselves, burning me to the core. My throat tried desperately to remove the sand from within it, making it writhe violently inside me, making me feel like I was slicing myself apart. The sand biting at my arms was exposing my flesh to open air, pain flared through my arms. I wanted to die. There and then I wanted it all to end. It was unbearable.

"I know you're powerless here," Zane's thunderous voice continued, the words sliding effortlessly off his tongue. I choked and spluttered on nothing, before I faded into a state of numbness.

I sat up in my bed in cold sweat. I was still choking and coughing, trying hysterically to breathe. I could still feel the pain oozing through me. I panted heavily, whilst clawing my hands over my chest, as if that would help open my lungs up. I rammed my head into the wall beside me, attempting to distract my mind from the pain in my lungs.

After a long while of hyperventilating and choking, I came around. I looked over myself, thankfully I was still intact. I groaned as I lay back down comfortably again. My lungs still felt like they'd been torn apart by the sandstorm, but the pain was bearable. I gazed up at the gloomy ceiling, mainly trying to regain breathing control, but my mind was drifting from thought to thought.

Zane was becoming a bigger threat by the instant. He had all the time in the world on his hands, and I couldn't tell anyone. He had Justin, and I couldn't tell anyone. Not even my closest friend Kyle knew who Zane's father was; only Atlanta. The one person who had also been forced into the unbreakable oath.

Footsteps outside brought me from my thoughts. I sat up and crept towards my door. Heaved the cabin doors open and eerie moonlight flew into my room. The camp was quiet empty. My mind was making me paranoid again. There was a sound of grass crunching, and footsteps moving towards me.

Next thing I knew arms were around my neck and a warm face was on my shoulder.

"Odyssey," the girl whispered, "That is about Odysseus?" She slurred some of her words, struggling to speak fluently in the language she had begun learning for a month. Odysseus was Atlanta's uncle, her only caring family member. Her mother Artemis saw her as a painful reminder of the only time she'd broken an oath; Atlanta's father saw her as an annoying nuisance not worthy of his companionship, I was only too happy when I got the opportunity to take his life from him; Atlanta's brother had been favoured by her father, leaving her as the outcast.

Atlanta looked up at me with questioning brown eyes.

"Odysseus lives doesn't he?" she asked plainly, "My only family should not be hurt."

"He survives," I informed her, "The only survivor out of his entire fleet. We usually think of him as a hero for some reason these days." Atlanta smiled.

"No one shall tell him that," she said, "He would explode with pride." She looked down at the ground. She stared at a specific leaf and it started glowing silver.

"I am not here to tell you that though," she explained, "The Unspeakable One in my dreams." We had come to nickname Zane as The Unspeakable One, as we couldn't give straightforward information about anything related to him. We were already pushing the boundaries talking to each other about him.

"Same here," I told her, "The one I've been searching for, Justin, Unspeakable might have him." My calf muscles seized up for no apparent reason. I winced and stood on one leg to ease the pain.

"Say no more," she whispered putting a finger to her lips, "We've said too much. Was there an empire before my own?"

"Mainly Egypt," I explained, "Why?" Atlanta cursed for a while in ancient Greek, and I got a feeling Zane had something to do with it.

Atlanta finished cursing and my mind clicked on something.

"Sandstorm, desert, Egypt!" I said feeling stupid for not putting it together earlier.

"Sandstorm?" Atlanta asked, "What is sand?" I laughed at her lack of knowledge on the English language.

"Ask Kyle to tell you tomorrow," I finished, "Right now I really want some good sleep." Atlanta gave me a confused look, she probably didn't know what "really", "sleep" and "now" meant.

"Goodnight Nico," she farewelled and stepped into the shadows of the cabins in front of mine. I watched her wander back to her own cabin.

I woke the next morning with an uncomfortable pain in my shoulder. I figured I'd slept on it abnormally. I ate breakfast earlier than most campers. I finished my breakfast and walked out to the swordplay practice arena. I waited for my cousin to turn up, he was, as always late.

"Nico," Percy called.

"Percy," I greeted, "S'up man?"

"Nothing, I heard you found something though. It looks like you found something." He looked over the scorpion blood that had now formed a scab-like coating over my skin.

"Just an un-kill-able monster," I said, peeling some of the thick stain from my shoulder.

"That can't be healthy," Percy said.

"Probably," I sighed.

"So you any closer to finding Justin?"

"More than I can say." I felt my angry fire reignite as my thoughts were drawn back to my dream. Zane had Justin, and they had something to do with Egypt. Percy thought about that for a minute, he knew when I said I couldn't say something I meant it.

"Well," Percy sighed, "We've covered everything you need to know in swordplay. Now you only need to get better." He uncapped his sword Riptide.

"Ready?" I asked him. Percy feinted a left swipe first, but he'd used that tactic so many times I knew it was coming. I didn't bother blocking my left; I slashed my blade at Percy's knees. He thought quickly and kicked at my sword. I raised my blade and we became locked in combat.

"When I was in Troy," I started, grunting as I heaved Percy's sword away from my neck, "I met Achilles." Percy tried to slide my blade out of my grasp, I jerked my sword back.

"What's he like?" Percy asked, before hacking at me from every direction with Riptide. I swiped and dodged each of his attacks.

"A bit stuck-up," I muttered through gritted teeth. My sword was tugged away from my hand. Percy twirled my sword in his left palm. I glared at him.

"I guess I win," Percy decided.

"Why don't we change the rules and make it so I win?" I asked.

"Because if I was Medusa, you'd be dead." Percy smirked at his own thoughts, "Then again I would too, 'coz we were glaring at each other from the start. Go again?" He offered me my sword. I went for the quick-fire technique and accepted my own sword before kicking Riptide from Percy's grasp.

"If I were a dracnae," I started, "You would be dead."

"Cool," Percy said, "But can I have my sword back?"

"I won."

"That's great, I want my sword."

"You're sounding like Achilles."

"I gave up that curse."

"You still sound like him."

"Restart battle," Percy ordered. I sighed and gave him his sword back. This time we had a proper fight again.

After a series of long battles I moved on to ancient Greek class, where Annabeth was going to give me my aural test. I figured I'd have no problems with it. I was right. I then moved on to the other lessons I had on, before finally I was seated at my lonely table in a crowded hall.

Mr D didn't turn up to dinner. This was becoming abnormal even for him. I looked down at my plate. I took a larger portion of food to the sacrificial that night. I looked at the flames, eating away the fuel they were given in a matter of seconds, releasing a hypnotizing aroma that filled the air around it. I emptied half of my food into the fire first. I muttered "to the gods" before I gave rest to the fire.

To Zane, I thought, I know you're there. I know you're a god. I know you have Justin. It was more of a warning than a sacrifice.

I moved back to my table and ate the small remainder of food at my table in a matter of seconds. Air in the camp seemed tense and campers seemed quiet. Maybe we were all being haunted by nightmares about Zane. No, Zane was far too intelligent to blow his cover like that. Everyone still thought he was an innocent thirteen year old, whose parents had forgotten him.

I peeled a thin slick coating if scorpion-man blood from my arm. The moist black blood inside trickled down my arm, leaving a dark stain on my arm.

"Haven't gotten around to that shower yet?" Kyle asked, taking a seat next to me.

"Nah," I sighed, "Classes, you know?"

"Yeah," Kyle agreed, "Bonfire tonight."

"And..."

"Savanna told me not to turn up," Kyle said, "I think something blew up her brain when you went to Troy. She's been acting strange."

"Why would she think that?" I inquired.

"She said she couldn't explain something about some fiery creature. I really think Mr D has been messing with some camper's minds. Always hated that wine god." Kyle spat at the ground. I didn't think it was Dionysus. He'd saved campers from insanity; I'd never actually seen him try to inflict actual harm on anyone. Zane however, he'd been haunting my dreams ever since the moment I'd come back from Troy; if he could inhabit my dreams surely he could inhabit Savanna's as well.

"I don't think it's Mr D," I hinted. Kyle didn't pay much attention.

"Are you done with your fork?" he asked, "I want to eat it." I handed him the cutlery and watched him bite down on it. It was weird hearing metal colliding within someone's mouth.

The meal ended quickly and campers waited around wasting time, trying to make the night move along faster. Lee, the Ares cabin counsellor was showing a kid from the Demeter cabin what ash tasted like. Chiron stood up and told the Apollo cabin to get the bonfire started. Everyone waited a while longer. Will Solace finally emerged from the clearing and gave us all a beaming smile.

"Let's get this party started!" he called gesturing for everyone to follow him, and so we did.

**Hope you liked it, please review to tell me if you did, or you could favourite or put this story on your alerts list. Reviews are best though. They mean a lot to me. **


	3. The Wine Dude Saves My Butt

**Another chapter! Hopefully I didn't leave you waiting too long. Please review peoples, or I'll find something better to do with my holidays! Reviews are a big help to inspire authors to keep going. **

**Chapter 3: The Wine Dude Saves My Butt**

Kyle and Atlanta sat either side of me as the bonfire was put into action. Kyle shifted uncomfortably on the fallen tree we were on. He constantly scanned the crowd as if he was waiting for something. Atlanta was the one who got sick of his nervous attitude before even I did.

"What are you waiting for?" she asked, sounding far too annoyed for anyone's liking.

"Something's here," Kyle whispered, sniffing the air and looking around, "I know what it is!" He hit his head on his knees a couple of times in frustration. "I just can't place it!" Kyle continued hitting his head.

"Dude that kills brain cells," I said, "Not makes them." Kyle stopped smacking his head.

"I bet Zane's got something to do with it," Kyle muttered.

"What?" I asked. How Kyle came to the conclusion Zane was involved in something, I had no idea.

"He told me while I was healing from the chimera bite that he had a surprise of some form planned," Kyle explained, "It didn't sound good." Zane had spoken to Kyle. I really couldn't see why he would. Kyle was the sort of person you could never trust a secret with.

"Creepy kid," I said, "Probably just trying to freak us out." My fingers abruptly cracked and my left pinky finger popped out of place. I winced and clenched my hands into fists, cracking the dislocated finger again. It was official; I was not going to talk about Zane again.

As I sat cradling my wounded hand (shut up) the bonfire began. Marshmallows were thrown to everyone (Kyle had to catch mine), Will Solace announced the song we'd be singing first, the fire started burning a vibrant shade of blue and everyone started singing. The fire flared into a golden shower of sparks as music filled the area. The guys from the Apollo cabin were all leading and clapping the beat out on their knees. People were laughing, a bunch of kids up front were swaying like they had no care in the world, everyone was singing and everyone was smiling.

"Zelus, Zephyr, and Zeus!" everyone finished, some campers applauding the end of the song.

"Again!" Will Solace called, "You guys don't sing this song loud enough." Some campers snickered, others groaned, but really everyone was having a great time.

"Aph... rodite, Apollo, Ares, Athena, Bia, Chaos, Cratos," The seemingly endless list of gods went on. The bonfire shot another two feet high and roared as it became a blinding white colour. Campers sung louder and faster. The white light caught onto something I hadn't noticed before. I focussed on the object. It wasn't an object; it was a person, in a cloak, who was exchanging calm words with an angry Chiron. Chiron threw something at the person, but they vanished. I blinked a couple of times wondering if I'd seen what I had.

Chiron bent down and picked up the object he'd thrown. He held it in shaky hands as he looked over the camp. Kyle started sniffing the air again.

"What is it Kyle?" I asked. Kyle sniffed a bit more before an angry scowl came over his face.

"Greek fire," he whispered.

"What?" I asked, rather concerned that an ancient explosive was thought to be amidst the audience. Kyle jumped to his hooves (seeing as he has no feet).

"GREEK FIRE!" Kyle yelled over the roar of singing and laughter. The fire died down instantly, turning into an angry red flame. Everyone was silent. No one took his words into much account; most thought Kyle was a satyr who was delusional and short-tempered.

"Shut it hoof face!" Lee called. Campers started muttering amongst themselves, some laughing, some frustrated and annoyed.

"GET OUT OF THIS PLACE NOW!" Chiron yelled urgently. People actually listened to Chiron.

"Why?" Will asked hesitantly.

"Just evacuate the camp," Chiron ordered, "It's not safe."

"How could it be not safe?" Savanna asked. Chiron gave her a sympathetic look.

"Somewhere, unknown to me, Greek fire bombs have been planted, due to go off at a random moment. We need to clear the grounds to be safe." People exchanged glances. I turned to Kyle, who was shuffling his hooves anxiously. Atlanta gave a confused and desperate look to me.

"MOVE!" Chiron stormed, making two hundred demigods and satyrs break into a fast walk towards Thalia's pine.

The crowd was moving slowly, just waiting for disaster to happen. Everyone was confused and worried; there wasn't one person who didn't have a weapon on hand as we moved. Savanna soon fell back in line with Kyle, Atlanta and I.

"What the Hades is happening?" she whispered.

"Why are we stuck behind the slowest idiots?" Kyle spat. The girls in front of us were moving extremely slowly, they were from the Aphrodite cabin no doubt. The ground started vibrating.

"Nico," Savanna whimpered, "Tell me you're doing that." My response went along the lines of "holy Hades we're dead" as the ground shook more violently.

The first bang deafened my hearing for a while, but I took it that everyone was screaming as the spot we'd all just been sitting was consumed in a giant ball of green fire. I grabbed Atlanta's arm and dragged her into a sprint with the crowd. Kyle pulled Savanna along next to us. The second explosion echoed through my ears as bright green light erupted in the general vicinity of Thalia's pine. Bark was thrown everywhere and a dragon's wounded shrieks rang through the camp.

The earth beneath my feet started splitting, while another earth-shattering bang sounded behind us. I tried to will shadows to take me away, but the light of the fire made me inaccessible for darkness. For the second time ever I heard Atlanta scream, as we were blasted off our feet, soaring through the air with unbearable heat scorching our backs.

Atlanta lost grip on my arm and we soared away from each other. I more wanted to help her than save my own skin. I hit the ground shoulder first, feeling it click and crack in so many sickening ways. My head got the next worst part of the landing, hitting the roots that covered the ground and splitting my head just above my left ear.

I pushed myself to my feet, yelling in the pain that burned through my injured shoulder. I cursed and tried to find my friends, but my eyesight went foggy. I tried to lift my left hand over the wound in my burning skull, but wound up inflicting more pain on my backwards shoulder. Panting heavily, I strode dizzily across the area. A blur of vibrant green appeared in my eyesight, yet I couldn't tell how close it was.

"Nico!" a voice called, disoriented by my throbbing skull. I stumbled towards the voice's source and someone shoved something into my mouth. I didn't take the time to enjoy its intoxicating taste; I just flexed my shoulder to test whether or not it had healed. My vision cleared and the form of Will Solace came into view.

"Atlanta," I panted, "Was thrown away too. Make sure she's ok."

"I'll try," Will promised and jogged away. I sprinted the other way, running through a randomly detonating minefield of Greek fire.

I found myself at the Big House, none of my friends in sight, I really didn't like the fact that they were probably dead. I scanned the area, watching endless flashes of green and panicked silhouettes running around desperately. Screams and shrieks mingled with explosions which made everyone feel worse.

Savanna emerged from behind Zeus's memorial cabin.

"Savanna," I yelled. She looked over at me and sprinted over.

"Have you seen the others?" she yelled before I got the chance to ask her the exact same question.

"No," I called, slowing my jog. Savanna cursed quietly and continued running.

"Check the woods!" she ordered, "They probably got lost in the trees." She kept running towards me, sweat beaded down her flushed cheeks and her right arm was badly bruised; no one was coming out of this camp unharmed.

She was halfway across the grass when another disaster struck. There was a thunderous bang as the Big House was ferociously torn apart by green light.

I yelled Savanna's name as the house fell towards her. I tried to help my friend, but my legs wouldn't move me fast enough. A silhouette melted out from the darkness and pushed Savanna away from the path of the falling building, unable to move itself out of harm's way also. Savanna stared over at the person who'd saved her life with a shocked look on her face.

I covered my head as the last of the debris fell from the sky. The next thing I heard was a scream. I'd heard enough screams throughout the little of my life there was, around half had resulted in death, those thoughts obviously didn't comfort anyone. The person who had saved Savanna's life was lying on his stomach with his legs being crushed by the second floor's remains. Each of his panting breaths that escaped his mouth sounded more like a moan. I ran over to him. Savanna was already by his side with a tear stricken face.

"We need to help him," she told me. I would've normally released a smart comment like "Really? He looks fine to me," but under the circumstances, it really wasn't the time.

"Do you have any ambrosia?" I asked her.

"If we give him ambrosia, the debris will just crush his legs again."

"Oh." I looked down at the guy, who was shivering under the pressure. His face had become sickeningly pale and his whole body was drenched in sweat.

The boy looked into my eyes giving a silent plea; he wanted the pain gone, I really couldn't blame him. He had to be only a year older than me.

"How do we get rid of the debris then?" I asked Savanna.

"I don't know!" she said, her voice becoming a yell from panic. The boy attempted to shift his body and screamed again. I looked around hoping to see another camper, someone who could help. The boy started yelling again. He scrunched his face up and clenched his one free hand into a fist, his knuckles quickly turned white.

"Go find someone who can help," Savanna told me, "Will or Adele, they're good with this stuff." She gave me one final panicked look before I ran for help.

As I ran through the camp I noticed that there were no more explosions. People cried over dead bodies, none of which I recognised, making me feel guilty and yet relieved. The whole camp was in ruins. It was hard to take in. My only real home throughout all my life was destroyed, shattered, defeated. Everyone looked upset.

Most campers had regathered at what had been the bonfire pit only moments ago. All that remained when I got there was a smoking crater and a singed, fallen tree. I scanned the groups of campers, searching for a familiar child of Apollo's face. I saw Will and one of his sister's Adele on the opposite side of the sizzling crater, tending to a dying camper. The lucky guy was going painlessly. Adele's horse like face was moist from tears; she held the camper's hand in hers as he mumbled final words.

Will caught sight of me; a frustrated look spread over his face.

"Atlanta," he said, "I couldn't find her, sorry, I got... distracted." He looked down at a camper's corpse. I felt my spirits lower even more. Atlanta could've been dead just like that guy, she could've been being crushed by ruined buildings.

"It's not her," I told Will. He seemed to straighten up a bit more. "There's a guy, near the Big House, well where it was-"

"Was?" Will asked.

"Greek fire. Explode." I made hand gestures to help get the idea to Will's head. "There's a guy half crushed by debris, in intense pain and we have no way to help him." Will looked at me.

"There's something," Will started.

"What?" I asked, confused.

"Behind you," he finished. I instinctively turned over my shoulder. Cracks were appearing in smouldering crater, filling with electric blue light. The earth trembled as eerie blue light engulfed us.

"Holy Poseidon," was all I managed.

Rough hands with long yellow claws pushed through the ground. It was then that the girls started screaming. A lioness's head with glowing blue eyes pushed through the ground, sending dirt everywhere. It pulled the remainder of itself out of the ground revealing it had a human form from neck down.

"Give me the one I seek," it snarled, "And you will die quickly. Fail to deliver and you will suffer." It seemed to enjoy saying "suffer" all too much.

"What do you want from me?" Percy asked stepping forward anger on his face, "Don't hurt these guys." The lion-lady gave him a weary expression.

"Are you the son of Hads?" she inquired.

"Who?" Percy asked, quickly glancing at me.

"The son of Hads," she repeated, "The one they call Nio." My jaw dropped. Holy Poseidon, I was dead.

"You mean Hades?" Percy asked.

"I said that," Lion-Lady snarled, "Don't humiliate my intelligence."

"Nico," Will whispered to me, "I think you should run." I nodded slightly. I stepped back, I didn't want everyone to suffer, but I didn't want them to die either, it was one of those loose or loose situations.

"Dango!" Lion-Lady hissed, "Nio Dango, the son of Hads."

"There is no one at this camp with that name," Percy told her, "Leave now in peace or we'll all turn on you." He uncapped Riptide making bronze light illuminate his face.

"You dare face a goddess?" the lady laughed, "Wait." She looked over Percy's sword, observing it intensely. "Are you Greek?" she asked.

"Well duh," Lee answered getting to his feet, "What else could we be?"

"You thought we couldn't look after ourselves."

"What?" Lee asked.

"I'm going to kill you all slowly. Where is that son of Hades?" She pronounced Hades right for once. I stepped forwards.

"He fled," I lied, "He escaped into the city; you'll have to chase him before he runs too far." Lion-Lady examined me carefully. A victorious smirk spread over her lioness face.

"I was told to seek out Nio Dango, the son of Hades, the one with the Minotaur scar on his neck." She smiled evilly. I gulped, rubbing a hand over the scar of the burn I'd earned during the Trojan War. There was no hiding from this lady.

"Nico run!" Percy yelled.

Lion-Lady unsheathed a large curved blade, while Percy ran at her. Lion-Lady pushed Percy easily aside and ripped his abdomen open in the process. Campers ran to help Percy, who was howling in pain, while Lion-Lady zeroed in on me. I felt the colour drain from my face.

"You don't want more to die," she snarled.

"Run Nico," Will urged, "You have to run!" I took my chance and bolted away from Lion-Lady. I heard her menacing laughs echo in the distance behind me.

The dry grass crunched under my shoes as I sprinted through the burning camp. Lion-Lady hadn't come for me yet, thankfully, but I had to wonder what was taking her so long. I made another turn and found myself by the toilet block, which was probably the only building intact. I breathed heavily; sweat dripping from my face to the ground. I was shaking. I tried to calm myself. My hands refused to stop vibrating. My knees wobbled and my whole self felt cold. Truly, I was terrified. I wanted to save my own skin, but I didn't want the rest of the camp to suffer.

I let out another hollow breath. I heard metal scrape against something behind me. I whipped around and saw those glowing blue eyes again. Lion-Lady growled and begun pacing around me. She held her curved sword tightly, swinging it around like she had no care in the world.

"I will thrust my khopesh through your liver," Lion-Lady said licking her lips, "Drink your blood, steal your sword, gouge your eyes with your own weapon, force you to digest your own eyes, burn the mark of the gods on your back, murder your friends slowly, remove your teeth one by one, wear them around my neck,"

"I really don't care what you're going to do to me," I told her, trying to remove sickening mental images from my mind, "Just kill me quickly. I've died before, it won't be so bad." She gave me a quizzical look.

"Not under Osiris's reign," she said.

"Who the Hades is Oseris?" I asked.

"Don't you know your own master? I will introduce you shortly." She squinted her eyes. I felt my whole self slacken, she wasn't going to kill me. She was going to take me to this Osiris guy and let me live for a while. I tried to shadow-travel away, but her glowing eyes left the area surrounding us in light.

Lion-Lady hissed and pounced. I had enough time to yell in panic before her sword punctured the right side of my torso. Pain spread through me, swirling around and making me yell in agony. I coughed and spluttered as the pain set in. Blood seeped from my mouth and Lion-Lady started laughing. She violently pulled her blade from my chest and chuckled loudly. I wrapped an arm around my burning wound watching Lion-Lady lick my blood off her sword. My breathing started coming out more as pained, petrified wheezing. My body seemed rigid and frozen from shock, yet it burned with a million needles of pain.

My shirt became damp with my own blood. Lion-Lady's smile grew wider. She crouched next to me and lifted my arm from my bleeding wound. She put her head over my wound and inhaled heavily. I tried to kick her but my efforts were futile.

"Drink his blood," Lion-Lady muttered starting to sound like a drunken teenager, "Good blood. Young blood. Fresh blood. My first meal out of exile." Her constant mutterings sent shivers through my spine.

Something splashed against the ground beside me. A small puddle of liquid formed around me. Lion-Lady gazed wide-eyed at the ground around me. Saliva leaked out of her mouth. I closed my eyes. Lion-Lady put her hands into the puddle of something around me and let red liquid trickle from her palms. She drank the liquid with eagerness.

A blast of red liquid shot into Lion-Lady's face and sent her backwards. She drank the liquid that was blasted at her until she collapsed. The geyser of liquid from my left slowed, and the pool of liquid around me drained into the ground. My chest was still burning, my breathing was still heavy, but I was alive.

"You're lucky I was around," an annoyed voice said, "I would've normally refused to help you Di Angelo." The owner of the voice came into my view. Though my sight was disoriented, I managed to distinguish the face.

"Mr D," I mumbled, "You saved my life."

**Dun dun dun! Mr D saved someone's life? Whoa, never thought I'd live to see that. Remember to review people, and I might just stop begging at that beginning and end of each chapter. **


	4. My Rescuer is Scared by a Cow

**Hey readers! Really sorry about the long wait. Computers, y'know, they mess up when you need them most. K so, sorry that this chapter isn't as action-filled, but things need explaining. Once again please review. Your reviews are seriously amazing as are the reviewers! (Even if UAGANSTABRU!) A major thanks to Lemariz, you reviews always come when I least expect them, they always manage to make me happy. Do readers out there know that sometimes reviews are the sole reason writers keep writing? **

**Chapter 4: My Rescuer gets Scared by a Cow**

When the world came back into focus, Mr D and Lion-Lady were gone. I was lying on an old thin quilt that smelt like stale saliva. The smell of smoke still lingered in the air from the night before. I felt sticky and sweaty. My wound had healed and thankfully I still had eyes.

I sat up carefully with an aching back, and looked around. I seemed to be in an impromptu infirmary. Other campers lay on tattered quilts in various places nearby, Apollo campers were walking from quilt to quilt constantly and squares of ambrosia were being passed everywhere.

I noticed a boy with jet black hair next to me. He lay sprawled over his quilt with his legs bent in ten million impossible ways. He was probably lucky he was unconscious. His legs seemed to be flattened and twisted. There were unusual, sickly, bluish, pulsing bulbs throbbing violently covering the majority of his legs. Stains from dried blood coated them. The worst part was that his kneecap hovered just above his ankle. I winced as I looked over the guy. His arm was bandaged, but otherwise seemed fine, he had tired, darkened eyes, and he had a bruise on his neck and about ten blood red towels next to him.

"Hey Nico," Kyle's voice greeted.

"Eh," I moaned, turning to find him behind me.

"Some bonfire," he said.

"Yeah," I agreed, "You heard from Savanna or Atlanta?"

"Yeah," Kyle sighed, "Seems like I was the only one who escaped with only a scratch. Atlanta's somewhere else around here recovering from a hit to the head; Savanna's helping her siblings with all the injured campers, we found her last night with that guy." Kyle gestured to the guy with the deformed legs. "He was crushed under half the Big House."

"Oh." I looked back at the guy, remembering his face scrunched up and his screams ringing through the air. "Do you know what happened with the crazy lion-lady thing?"

"No idea. Mr D brought you here said she'd hurt you and left to go "converse" with her."

"Could Mr D be more vague?"

"I really wouldn't care," Kyle snorted, "He's the worst patron in the universe, I'd rather live under the reign of Ares."

"But you love Ares," I reminded him.

"You know what I mean." Kyle picked up a handful a grass and sprinkled it over the ground, revealing just how much ash and rubble was within the handful. "Do you have any idea of who could've done this?" Kyle asked.

"You know my suspicions."

"Zane? Thought so. He seems the sort to do that. No one else would believe us. What were the last words Grover said Percy said he heard Zane say last? "Why hasn't my parent claimed me yet?" That was it. Everyone thinks he's an innocent little kid who wouldn't dare hurt anything."

"That question, "Why hasn't my parent claimed me yet?" started the second Titan war." I pointed out.

"That was "Why doesn't my parent care?" not claim," Kyle argued.

"Same thing."

"No it's not." Kyle scowled at me.

"Yeah, it's not," I agreed. I stretched my arms, blood sending a sense of small relief through them.

"Are you feeling better?" Kyle asked.

"Better than what?" I asked.

"Last night."

"When the camp was being blown to pieces, people were dying and my liver had a sword through it? No I feel way worse."

"That's stupid," Kyle replied. He inhaled through his nose and raised an eyebrow like he'd noticed something. "Can I smell wine?" he asked. I sniffed the air. It did smell a bit like alcohol, I wasn't too familiar with the stuff.

"I don't know," I answered, "Why?"

"I smell wine, like really strong, in your direction. Have you been drinking?"

"You bet," I said sarcastically.

"Just asking. I didn't think wine was allowed in camp."

"Did someone say wine?" a voice from behind us asked. We both turned to find the camp director standing above us, his eyes narrowed like they were when he handed out a punishment.

"We just," Kyle started, "Thought we could er, smell something like it."

"Your nose doesn't deceive you, I'm sorry, what's your name again?" Mr D asked.

"Kyle, sir."

"Tyler," Mr D tried, "Well sorry to break up your conversation, but I must borrow Di Angelo here for a minute."

"Why?" I asked suddenly curious.

"I need you to meet someone," Mr D explained. He turned to Kyle. "Go play your pipes or something. Di Angelo, follow me."

Mr D guided me through unfamiliar piles of rubble and ruined foundations of buildings. It hurt to see my home destroyed. Even the woods were full of small craters and broken trees. Mr D led us to a bigger crater, where someone had set up a table and three beanbags. There was a woman sitting at the table, with a bulky cow's head in place of a human one. She was rather chubby herself and had fallen into a drunken slumber on the table, snoring loudly.

Mr D forced a cough and the lady jumped awake.

"Have we met?" she asked him, looking over Mr D with empty eyes.

"Yes Hathor," Mr D said in a voice calmer and more inviting than I'd ever heard him use, "I'm Dionysus, remember?" Hathor blinked a couple of times and shook her head.

"Unless you were the one who were talkin' to me about wine, I don't know you."

"I am that person."

"Oh, you got more wine then?" she asked. A goblet filled with a rich red coloured wine sprouted from thin air. "Good, good." Hathor emptied the goblet in one gulp.

"Hathor," Mr D began, "I would like you to meet a student of mine. This is Nico. Nico say hello to Hathor."

"Uh," I tried, "Hi Hathor."

"That boy looks familiar, "Hathor said, "I think I seen 'im before."

"Probably because you were trying to kill him," Mr D stormed raising his voice to a yell, "Do you remember anything about your last moments as Sekhemet?" Hathor yawned.

"I know her," she said.

"You are her," Mr D growled.

"She was the one he was talking to, before lightning man kicked me out, gets a wee bit blurry before that."

"Last night," Mr D continued, "You were trying to kill this fine pupil and drink his blood."

"And you brought out wine?" Hathor asked.

"Is that what I'm covered in?" I asked, instantly feeling dirty. Mr D nodded at Hathor and me.

"She was told to kill 'im... I think."

"By whom?" Mr D inquired.

"One o' my friends." Hathor yawned again and her head began slipping sideways.

"Where is this friend?" Mr D asked giving Hathor a scolding look. Hathor chose that moment to fall off the table. "HATHOR!" Mr D scolded, causing Hathor to jerk awake, "Get up you drunken cow! Answer my question or you will be punished." Mr D glared at Hathor, purple fire flickering through his eyes. Hathor smiled at Mr D and snorted with laughter. I exchanged a confused glance with Mr D.

"This friend is everywhere," Hathor said, still choking on laughter, "My friend is every time, I think 'ee said that anyway. He's a god; you can't hope to beat him." Hathor continued laughing.

Mr D clenched his hands into fists and sent one at Hathor's face. Hathor placed a hand delicately on her cheek.

"Pain," she mumbled, "Dionysus is a god?"

"Yes idiot," Mr D growled, "I am a god. What is your friend's name?" Hathor had to think about that question for a while.

"Zan, I think," Hathor replied. I felt my heart stop. Was this "Zan" guy the same person as Zane? Everything made too much sense, like a thousand piece puzzle just coming together too easily, as if it were an accident.

"Zan," Mr D repeated, "I know of no such god from your era."

"You know o' no one from my time," Hathor spat, "The Titans did though." Mr D straightened up.

"What happened?" he inquired. Hathor smiled, her face seemed to shrink down into a more human-like one. She traced the edge of her goblet with her finger.

"The Titans, your fathers, Egypt was in a time of peril, fighting against ourselves rather than against our expanding enemies. There was one Titan, Rheia, who noticed this. She didn't want gods competing for power over the world, so she gathered her siblings and friends and brought them to us for war. If they were trying to establish peace it didn't come across as that. The Titans burned homes, destroyed many undeserving souls and..." Hathor stopped herself, "There are some things I must keep from curious minds." Mr D's purple face turned as white as snow.

"You mean exile?" he asked, his eyes wide and his hands shaking. Hathor gave him a menacing glare.

"That wine has worn off," she decided, "I will see you again, and I will have allies." Her whole form turned a golden yellow colour and crumbled into dust only to be blown away by the wind.

I stared at the spot Hathor had disappeared from. Mr D still looked terrified. I felt a bit worried for the guy, Mr D was never patient, never willing to give away some of his wine and never scared. There had to be something wrong.

"Mr D?" I asked.

"Y-y-y-yes," Mr D stuttered.

"Who was that exactly? And how are they related to the lady who tried to kill me?" I looked at Mr D expectantly, he gave me no response. "Do you need to speak to someone?" I asked him, feeling really awkward. Mr D nodded slightly.

"Chiron," he whispered his voice wavering, "I need to talk to Chiron." Mr D waved a hand and the table and beanbags evaporated, it seemed a shame they'd come of no real use.

Mr D strode clumsily next to me. If gods could faint, I think Mr D would've. I guided him back through the destroyed forest, trying to gain as little notice from other campers as possible. To admit, I felt embarrassed for Mr D.

"Are you ok," I asked him in barely a whisper. He didn't respond. I took it that he was not ok. I continued heading towards the wreckage of the cabins. It seemed like most campers had taken refuge there. Chiron was talking to a group of campers in hushed voices. Everyone seemed tense. I walked out from the trees while Dionysus drifted nervously towards the corner of the area. I approached Chiron, he saw me when he finished saying something about some "Theo" guy.

"Nico," Chiron greeted, "Good to see you up again."

"You too sir," I replied, "Uh, um. Mr D took me to talk to some Hathor chick and then Mr D got freaked out by something and-"

"Freaked out by what exactly?" Chiron asked.

"He asked about some exile thing and lost it. He said he wants to talk to you." I tried to explain. Chiron just looked more confused.

"Well I will speak with Dionysus, and figure out what is bothering him." Chiron trotted over to Mr D and was immediately locked in intense conversation. They spoke in hushed voices to prevent eavesdroppers and looked either angry or worried for most of the time. I didn't like watching them talk like that; they'd only spoken that way when discussing the Olympians going silent because of the threat of a giant war, and before Kronos attacked camp through the labyrinth. Reminders of those days really didn't comfort me.

Mr D soon looked much less scared, but there was still that look of alarm in his eyes. Chiron came back to me.

"He's fine," Chiron explained, "Dionysus believes in superstitions Ares has told him, the attack last night is what he uses as proof."

"So nothing's up?" I clarified.

"Except that we have to rebuild the camp, and figure out what Zane hoped to achieve with his attack."

"Z- Ow!" I groaned as my calf muscles seized up suddenly. That oath was sure working for Zane. "Who did it?" I retried.

"Zane," Chiron answered, "He spoke to me and gave me a remote and a choice. To destroy the camp then and there or have it tear itself apart spontaneously. Of course, I thought it would be better to try to give some kind of warning before the attack." A spark of hope went through me. Zane was coming out of the dark, becoming a more obvious threat. No one could ignore him much longer.

**Eat that Time-Face! Hahahahaha! So you readers! If my calculations are correct, I should get one review per 16 hits. Please keep reviewing! (Or start, you many people out there who haven't.) I'll keep writing, and I promise the next chapter will come much faster than this one has. And I hope everyone's prepared for some weirdness because the next chapter is where things get intense... **

**You guys are truly amazing!**


	5. My Dad is Fired

**Another chapter guys! I hope you like it. Please, please, please, please, if you're reading this, review. As you can see, I barely have any, and I really need to know what people like and don't like to know how to improve my writing. Reviews help to motivate me to write so much more. **

**Chapter 5: My Dad is Fired**

I found Kyle back at the infirmary, talking to a teary eyed Savanna.

"He saved my life," Savanna was saying, "I can't even save his knee." Kyle looked only slightly concerned for Savanna.

"Nico!" he called loudly, "What did Mr D want?"

"For me to talk to the person who tried to kill me," I said.

"Nice. What'd she have to say?"

"Nothing much, she was drunk."

"Trust Mr D with that."

"Do you at least know who tried to kill you?" Savanna asked, "I'd want a name." She bit back her lip as if the thought hurt her.

"Some lady called Hathor or Sekhemet or both," I tried, still really confused.

"How'd she get here?" Kyle asked seeming amazed.

"Is there something about this person you know that I don't?"

"Well unless you don't know she was related to Egypt somehow I can't help you."

"Egypt?" Savanna asked, "Egyptian mythology isn't real!"

"They aren't real. Ares used to pull crazy pranks like this. Last time he did one was in the seventeen hundreds, he dressed up as Thor, apparently it was pretty believable." Savanna turned back down to the ground and kicked a twig to the side.

"I should go," she decided blinking quickly, "A million and one people are dying and I only have sixteen siblings." She stood up and walked over to a resting camper to refill their glass of nectar.

"What's up with her?" I asked Kyle.

"Some guy," he started, "Theo I think his name was, apparently saved her life last night, got crushed by rubble afterwards, but he saved her miserable butt. He was next to you this morning. Black hair, deformed legs. Ring any bells?" Unfortunately it did.

"Why is she so upset though?" I asked. Kyle laughed.

"Dude, you saw his legs!"

"And..." It seemed really weird to be having a conversation about a guy's legs.

"Heard of amputation?"

"Oh," I sighed, feeling extremely sorry for the guy. I half wondered how Kyle had managed to laugh about it. "No legs," I said.

"Harley agreed to make some stand-in legs," Kyle explained, "Theo won't be able to feel pain in his legs! I want to get my legs amputated!"

"Because that's not weird or anything."

"He'd be able to run forever too, without straining his legs." I had to admit, amputated legs were starting to sound like the best thing mankind invented.

"I think it's supposed to be bad that we feel jealous of him," I said.

"Probably," Kyle agreed, "But I really don't care. Please stab my legs."

"You don't need them half as much as me, you're a satyr, you have like infinite leg power!"

"So?" He looked at me as I tried to invent a comeback.

"Any idea on what we're going to do with the camp?" I asked changing the subject, "We can't rebuild in two days."

"And we need supplies, and a cemetery, if people keep dying like this."

"If that was your girlfriend lying, dead I don't think you'd say that."

"Well my girlfriend's not there is she?"

"You don't deny you have one," I said raising my eyebrows. Kyle glared at me. "Is it that berry bush again?" I teased. Kyle made no response. "I've never known berry bushes to be so nice."

"You know I hate her," Kyle growled.

"Keep telling yourself that." That comment earned me an elbow in the ribs along with a "shut up". I wanted to slip in another sarcastic remark, but Kyle changed subjects.

"Do you think that Sekhemet was somehow related to the scorpion guys?" Kyle asked.

"What do you mean?" I asked, wondering where he'd come up with an idea like that.

"I don't know," he confessed, "It's just they happened so close together, and they both have nothing to do with Greek mythology." He thought hard, which made it obvious he felt they were both a threat that had to be dealt with quickly. I had to admit they seemed the right sort of companions. An undying, giant half-scorpion and a lady with a lion head that turns into a cow's when drunk, really if I looked that bad I'd be searching for ugly friends too.

We spent the remainder of the day by the infirmary, having pointless discussions and eating whatever food we could (if you could call what Kyle ate food). When the night came campers made impromptu beds from old mattress stuffing, singed quilts, or anything else we could take from the rubble. It was probably morning by the time I finally got to sleep. My dreams were strange, but luckily not threatening or real. All I could recall from my dreams were exploding lions and steak falling from the sky.

I was in the middle of trying to catch steak in my mouth when I was rudely woken up.

"Nico," a voice hissed.

"Wha?" I asked, opening my eyes, "How is it even possible for steak that big to fit in my mouth?" I wondered aloud. My eyes came into focus and I saw Annabeth.

"What?" she asked.

"Weird dream," I explained, feeling awkward immediately, "What do you want?" I realised she was holding her phone. She wasn't supposed to have one, let alone use one, but camp had recently been attacked anyway, camp was venerable no matter what.

I sat up slowly and waited for an answer.

"I just put a god on hold," she said. As much as the thought amused me, I didn't laugh. My mind simulated a picture of Aphrodite and Ares having an argument over who hung up first. I pushed some sleep out of my eyes and looked back at Annabeth.

"Your dad called," she explained.

"What?" I asked seriously confused and worried, dads should not call your friend's friends.

"He sounded unusually distressed; he also said he needed to speak to you urgently. I don't usually pass on calls, but Hades is a god."

"And Hera already hates your guts," I added, "Even after Gaia."

"Just take the phone," Annabeth instructed, "I want it back when you're done." She handed me the phone and I put it to my ear.

"Hello?" I asked.

"Nico," my dad's voice responded, muffled over the phone.

"You called." I looked at Annabeth hoping she could tell me what he'd already said, but she was walking away.

"Yes. There has been a disruption amongst the gods. We have been forbidden to tell anyone, as the others think it's all a misunderstanding and that creatures and demigods would act stupidly if they knew."

"If they knew what?" I asked. I pressed the phone harder against my head as if trying to coax the answer out of my father faster.

"Zeus is missing," Dad whispered. Seeing as my jaw hit the ground, I was unable to respond. Zeus, the most powerful god missing? No one had power near enough to trick or capture the god, let alone complete the task without anyone knowing.

"The gods refuse to accept that my brother has probably been kidnapped by an ancient force," Dad continued.

"Chaos?" I asked, "The beginning of everything is ancient right?"

"Not Chaos. Chaos is a force, not a being. It is everywhere and nowhere and another load of confusing crap." (First time I heard a god curse!) "Not Chaos," he repeated, "Only Poseidon agrees with my theory." This conversation was getting extraordinarily weird. First I hear Zeus is kidnapped and now my uncle and my dad agree on something!

"And your theory is?" I asked.

"Complicated," Dad said, "It would be easier to explain to you in person."

"So you called to tell me you couldn't tell me something?"

"No, no. I am telling you something. Sekhemet, the one who attacked, is very much real; she is not Ares in disguise."

"You were eavesdropping on my conversation this morning?" I mumbled. That's one of the downsides to having a godly parent; you don't know when they're watching you. Dad took no notice of my mutterings.

"She is an Egyptian goddess, who somehow escaped exile."

"Hathor said something about exile," I told him.

"Yes. But the only way to remove a god from exile is by replacing them, putting another god in their place."

"I still have no idea what "exile" is."

"You don't need to know yet. But Sekhemet seeks to raise her friends. More of my relatives will vanish until every shred of Greek mythology is in exile."

"Is Zeus-" I started, but I couldn't finish the sentence. Zeus was in whatever this "exile" was.

"That's what Poseidon and I fear." Even over the phone, I could hear the sadness in his voice. As much as he hated his brothers, they were his flesh and blood; you can't turn on family unless family seeks to destroy itself (Kronos). "But I have further reason to fear. I have caught mythological creatures, not of Greek origin, scouting out the Underworld muttering about ambush and captivity. They vanished before I could imprison them. If these Egyptians managed to capture Zeus without much of a hassle-" Hades's voice faltered. I'd had my mother, and my sister taken away from me. A stupid lady with a lion's head was not going to take my father.

"What should I do?" I asked.

"Have you noticed the disturbingly nice weather recently?" Dad asked randomly.

"Uh, yeah."

"With Zeus gone storms are no more. If Poseidon vanished entire oceans would evaporate. If Ares was taken the world would be all round better. Without my beloved Persephone spring would cease to occur. Etcetera, etcetera."

"And without you?" I asked.

"The dead would run rampant in the Underworld. They would stay dead, so long as Thanatos remains, but you creative mortals have invented many stories of zombies." Dad's voice sounded serious, but I laughed as images from melodramatic zombie movies played through my mind. "They would be able to enter the land of the living. But the dead are much more destructive than you mortals have created." The subject suddenly seemed much less humorous.

"So you want me to..."

"Come to the Underworld. If I am to go I wish to see my son one last time." He sounded like he thought there was no other option. I was going to make another option. I would come and thrust my sword through Sekhemet's pitiful liver.

"I'll come," I promised. "Now."

"Does the little red button end the conversation?" Hades asked.

"Yes," I replied, but my answer wasn't needed. The faint beeping if the phone started right after I finished speaking.

I put the phone on my destroyed quilt and ran towards my cabin's ruins. I'd left my sword there somewhere. Only as I searched through mounds of shattered obsidian, did I realise just how indestructible Stygian iron was. As my hand found my sword's hilt I muttered a word of thanks to my father, and pulled my hand from the rubble. I held my sword in front of my face and observed the damage. It was covered in black dust, some ash; I could still see my face in its blade.

"Checking out your reflection yet again," Savanna said, making me fumble my sword in surprise. "And you say I'm uncoordinated. What are you doing Nico?"

"You are uncoordinated," I replied, "I was merely acting to boost your self esteem."

"Thank you. But seriously, if you wanted your sword you would've found it during the day. What are you doing?"

"Visiting someone," I replied.

"If you plan on finding Sekhemet don't. You'd be walking to your death. Everyone knows you hold grudges."

"I don't want to see that crazy lady."

"Then why do you have your sword?"

"Heard of monsters? They enjoy attacking us demigods anywhere." I was glad the words were coming easily to me. Savanna was having less luck.

"Yes, but, you..." Savanna's eyes looked around the air like the answers she wanted would appear there.

"I need to go. The invitation was pretty urgent." I looked at her, wanting to stick around to hear her next failed question. She sighed and brushed her fringe out of her face, a sure sign she'd given up.

"Yes but," she started, "With the random attack that's left the camp in ruins, I don't think it's safe to go out alone."

"You sound like a chick from a movie, deeply concerned for the one love of your life." As I turned dramatically to the moon, Savanna punched my arm.

"You're definitely about to do something stupid," she finished, "And if I failed to come with you, I doubt Lord of the Dead would treat me well."

"Funny you should say that," I said.

"You're going to the Underworld?" Savanna asked, "Why are you so stupid?"

"What's stupid about that?" I asked her. She bit back her lip.

"You wouldn't know, but that only means you need me to come along more." She gave me a pleading look.

"I guess I wouldn't mind some company," I sighed. Savanna punched my arm again.

"Let's go Dead Breath," she said a smile somehow on her face. We linked arms and the shadows whisked us away.

As you would've noticed, I'm not the best with landings. This was no exception. We collided with Persephone's garden out the front of Hades's mini Olympus. Savanna got up groaning, cracking her wrists in the process.

"Are the trees supposed to look dead?" Savanna asked. I got to my feet and walked out from the gardens. Savanna stood up and went to follow me, but I gestured for her to stay put. Savanna, being the obedient person she is, crouched behind a row of silver willows. I peered down the path. Right at the end my dad waited. He looked normal. The same black cloak, the same hair that hadn't met shampoo, the same slouched posture. You would've never guessed he thought he was going to this "exile" place.

"Dad," I called. He turned around and gave me the biggest smile I'd ever seen him manage. He enveloped me in a fatherly hug, filling my heart with warmth. Dad didn't break away for a long time. Finally he managed to pull away. He put a hand on my shoulder and gazed into my eyes with his own.

"Promise me you won't do anything stupid to try and protect me," Hades said. I felt my heart sink.

"I have to try Dad!" I told him.

"These people have power to conquer Zeus," Dad said, "Do you honestly think you can stop them?" As he looked at me, I knew he knew what I thought.

"No," I whispered, "But that doesn't mean I won't try! If I could cause a disaster it could-"

"I don't need another of my children dead," Dad informed me. I didn't respond. He shouldn't have been allowed to say that. When my mother died there was nothing I could do to help. When my sister died there was nothing I could do to save her. I wasn't going to let my father tell me to let him be. I would fight to the death, just to try to help.

"My son," Dad continued, "If I don't make it through the night, I need you to know I love you. Just as much as any good father loves his son. If the land above falls, know that you will always find refuge at my home. So long as one shred of Greek mythology survives so does everything else." Dad looked at me with sadness and regret in his eyes. It hurt to see my dad so empty, so helpless. "You must survive," Hades whispered, hugging me once more. "Promise me you will."

"I-" I wasn't sure how to respond. There I was ready to die for my father, and he tells me that he wants me to survive the end of Greek mythology. "I will." I finished.

Moments passed. Finally Dad released me.

"Go back to camp," he instructed, "You'll be safer there." He stepped away from me and immediately the warm fatherly love evaporated. Hades nodded at me as if to say, "now would be good." I looked at him, feeling lost and angry. I turned and walked back to where Savanna was.

Something grabbed my arm. Savanna yanked me behind the trees.

"Was that it?" she whispered, "You brought a sword and everything! You actually had me excited."

"That was not it," I assured her, "We have monster guts to spill yet." Savanna forced a half-smile.

"So you dragged me out here to die in style?" she said.

"You were the one begging."

"I know but-" She wouldn't have finished her sentence even if she hadn't been interrupted by an ear-splitting scream. I knew from experience that it was a cry from a tortured being. I hoped it was one of the dead souls, but the voice was far too close to be in the fields of punishment. Savanna winced the screaming went on. She plugged her ears and fell to her knees. I stepped back in line with her and put a hand on her back.

"What's up?" I asked quietly. She shook her head, but gave no other response.

Another scream sounded through the air - but these screams were different; cries of sheer happiness and excitement that quickly turned into overjoyed laughter. Savanna's amber eyes widened and a look of terror grew on her face. She looked at me and mouthed "Persephone" putting only too much of her fear into the air. But I knew what she meant. My godly stepmother had been taken into this "exile" thing and replaced by an Egyptian god.

"Persephone!" Dad called, his voice unable to cover the fear he had for her, as he ran towards his palace. The laughter continued echoing through the Underworld.

"I'M ALIVE!" the laughter's maker shrieked. I ducked in the garden, truly unsure when to make my move. I peeked out at the palace, just in time to see the doors blown off their hinges by blinding green light. I averted my eyes, yet the light consumed everything for a brief moment. Savanna was the only one not bothered by the light. She removed a clip from her hair, a small unnoticeable one, and it turned into a silver blade that fitted perfectly into her palm.

"Is that-" I started.

"A Hunter of Artemis's knife?" Savanna finished, "Yeah. Stole it your first game of Capture the Flag."

"You stole something?" I asked, "This is a big step up for you!" She would've said "shut up" (probably her favourite sentence in the whole of the English language), but we were interrupted by maniacal laughter (yet again).

Savanna pushed her head through the trees before I got a chance, but clearly she wasn't seeing anything pretty. I poked my head out above hers and tried to focus on the screaming lady, but my dad stood in the way. I angled my head so I could see the lady. As they say - big mistake. I'd seen ugly (I'd dragged Minos around with me for a year), this lady was just disturbing. She was probably in her twenties, with heavily tanned skin and a healthy build, the remainder of her however, was much worse. She wore a dress made purely from worn bandages, which should've impaired all her ability to use her legs. Her feet were bare and scabby, with yellowing toenails that could've passed as talons. Her face was covered by her own hair, that wasn't really - well, hair. The same bandage material as her dress. She probably avoided washing her hair, as the bandages looked so weak that they'd probably disintegrate if even a drop of water came in contact with it.

"Pretty," Savanna muttered. The lady continued laughing, her lungs straining to breathe against her bandages. The lady inhaled deeply and pressed a palm against her heart.

"Death," she said dramatically, "Have you missed me?"

"Leave this place now!" Hades ordered. The lady smiled at him.

"You're the little Greek impersonator of my son?" she asked in disgust. Hades didn't answer. "The Greek impersonator of my son?" she repeated, "Not the creator of death, but the overseer, ruler of the judges? Punisher of souls? No?" She looked at Hades from behind her veil. She brushed her bandage-hair out of her face. I had to clasp a hand over Savanna's mouth to keep her quiet. Looking straight at Hades was a set of sunken colourless eyes that seemed to literally burn the back of my mind, yet someone had still bothered to colour the edges in with either spray-paint or eyeliner. She had a much defined jaw and shallow cheeks. If it wasn't for the visible skin and eyes, her head could've been a skull.

Hades stepped forward.

"Leave this place now," he snarled, his eyes removing light from the scene with black fire. The lady chuckled lightly.

"I was on this earth before you and your petty little empire," she spat, "Now if you don't leave, emphasis on the 'now', I will be bringing my son back. Is that ok?" She looked at Hades with her piercing eyes.

"Get out!" Hades ordered, "You do not belong amongst the souls who have passed under my reign, or their world." The lady raised a thin eyebrow, as a yellow-toothed smirk spread over her face.

"As you wish," she said wistfully, "I really wished I didn't have to do this." She sounded sincere, but the smile on her distorted face said otherwise. She started chanting in an ancient language, so ancient even Atlanta would've considered it old. The lyrics were indecipherable, but they were composed from a lot of "h"s, "t"s, and "a"s. Everyone watched in confusion and shock. As confused as I was, I knew the lady was not going to do something nice.

I got to my feet and ran to be in line with the lady, ignoring Savanna's silent protests. The lady started at Dad, as her hair started rising and weaving through the air, suspended by an invisible force. I stepped out from the garden, remaining unnoticed. The lady was far too busy hypnotising my father to take any note of my existence. I stepped behind her, taking a silent, yet deep breath.

I fell into step behind her and did what needed to be done. In an instant I shoved my sword through her back and straight through her front. There was a sickening crunch as my blade passed through her bones. She was a hollow shell. I gasped, she chuckled amidst her chant, Hades tried not to gape, and Savanna pulled her head back into the cover of bushes. Shivers shot through my spine. My breathing resumed and became extremely fast. My eyes were fixed at the place my blade was implanted in her. No blood. No flesh. No organs. No pain. Only skin and bone. Even then her bones were like cornflakes, crumbly and easy to snap.

"You're not hurt," I whispered. The lady laughed, but kept up her chant.

"Get out Nico!" Dad yelled. Instead of leaving, I tried to stab her another ten times. There were no results. The only difference was that there was a gaping hole in her back, and she seemed oblivious to it. I just stared in awe, in bewilderment. This lady was like a living mummy (ha ha, no I don't mean the parent kind). I stepped back, still unable to contain unbelief.

"But Stygian Iron," I muttered to myself.

The lady kept up her chant, and a green orb began to form in her hands. The lady's language slowly moved from ancient to English.

"I, Nephthys," she chanted (pronounced n-e-f-th-i-s), "Goddess of death, and mourning, guardian of Hapi, protector of the lineage of Ra, creator of darkness and decay, founder of things unseen, guardian and patron of phoenixes, sister of Osiris, Horus, Set and Isis, wife of Set, and daughter of Geb and Nut, hereby take this soul before me, that it may cease to exist within its form. Hemsierd, I release your soul." Green light flooded the Underworld yet again. I heard my father scream something, but the scream was gone in an instant. I would've yelled for my father, but all my voice could manage to say was, "She has a lot of titles."

The light finally cleared, but blotches of colour lingered in my vision. I blinked repeatedly and found myself face to face with blank eyes. The back of my skull started stinging, times infinity. I tried to move my away, but my feet forgot how to walk. I stumbled to the ground. I tried to pull away from her eyes, but my whole system had stopped working. I breathed rapidly as the lady burned me with her white eyes.

"Nephthys!" a masculine voice from the distance called. Nephthys turned her gaze from me. My eyes burned so I closed them tightly. I silently thanked the random who'd called for her, until I saw his face. I cursed a bit when I saw the two scorpion men running through the courtyard. One had a head that was covered in scars and deformed bulges and dents. The other had a fading black mark from his armpit to the bottom of his ribcage. I didn't need a second glance to know where I'd seen them before. I scrambled to my feet and sprinted to where Savanna should've been. Of course the idiot had chosen this moment to get abducted by a flaming bird.

I looked up at the sky as I heard her screaming. She was easy to spot, it was pretty impossible to miss the flaming bird in a land of darkness. The bird seemed to be enjoying pulling Savanna further and further away from land. I groaned in frustration and peeked back at the scorpion-men. They were in deep conversation with Nephthys, which I had to admit, took a whole lot of weight on my shoulders.

The fiery bird shrieked loudly and swooped towards the ground, with Savanna kicking and screaming wildly in its talons.

"You resurrected my Ha-di?" Nephthys asked the scorpion guys. The nodded happily. "It appears he found a friend," she remarked. She chuckled to herself.

"Mistress," one of the scorpions addressed.

"Yes," Nephthys said.

"That boy you were just speaking with-"

"Soul-stealing," the other scorpion corrected.

"That. We have met the boy before. He injured us greatly. If you wish for Ma'at to be restored into this world we must gain our revenge." The other scorpion nodded hungrily. It was around then I started running.

I sprinted back into Persephone's garden, past Hades's lifeless body and towards the Fields of Asphodel. My insides cringed as I passed my father. He was gone. My last family member, gone. I hadn't done enough. I hadn't saved Dad or anyone. Thanks to me being stupid enough to hang around my dad was dead and Savanna had been kidnapped by a fiery bird. It was Zane's fault. He'd set everything up. He knew he could take my family, my friends. He wanted to make my life a living Tartarus. I'd never tell him, but it was working. I hated that kid.

I leaped over the ledge of Dad's favourite balcony that oversaw the Fields of Asphodel. I silently prayed that the black wheat was soft. My jacket caught the wind and tried to strangle me while I fell. I tried to angle my body, but it was no use. I plummeted. My mind suddenly hit an idea. Why was I so stupid? I quickly made the shadows drop me gently to my feet. I stumbled as I turned back to see if anyone was following me, I landed heavily on my feet, but I pushed on as if nothing had happened.

Luckily, the Egyptian beings seemed restricted to the less-dead part of the Underworld. As they tried to jump down after me they fell backwards. The scorpion-men kept at it, but Nephthys wasn't that stupid.

"Souls of the dead!" she called over the fields. Everyone turned to her. "Hades has left. I am your new master, until Osiris has been reawakened. If you wish to gain passage into the afterlife, you must capture the one living soul amongst you. Bring him to me and you will be rewarded." Nephthys smiled at me. The scorpion-men were still smashing their skulls against the invisible barrier. Unfortunately if there's one thing the dead don't like it's either the Fields of Punishment or the Fields of Eternal Boredom. They didn't need to be any further reason to pursue me. I would've run, but there was no possible way to evade every single soul in the fields. Before I got the chance to shadow-travel away, undead souls swarmed me. I couldn't bring them into the land of the living with me, so I remained still. The dead silently surrounded me on every side; one reached out and touched my arm. I expected his hand to evaporate as it came close to living flesh, but apparently that didn't happen when Nephthys owned the dead. His hand poked my arm. His fingers were, shaky, bony, cold as ice and definitely not a misty vapour. His face lit up and he gripped my arm tighter. I probably swore a bit, but I didn't really hear that much over the billions (literally) of screams of happiness. The dead were not dead anymore.

A million and one hands raised me above an ocean of dead people. I might've enjoyed the crowd-surfing experience if I wasn't being guided towards Nephthys, who was smiling sweetly with her crooked teeth. I shouted orders at the dead, but they weren't ghosts anymore - I wasn't their king. Any influence I had over them was gone. I reached for my sword, but it was yanked from my sheath. The dead began dragging me towards Nephthys. I felt my right shoulder pop, but the pain was masked by my shock. I was in utter disbelief. I struggled against their grip, but against a million I was nothing. I only managed to hurt myself more.

I scowled up at Nephthys's empty eyes. I had no real idea what was happening, but if one thing was certain - it was that Nephthys was playing a major role amongst it all. A satisfied grin pushed her frail cheeks upwards, and then everything got blurry. My senses dimmed. My thoughts slipped out of my mind. I tried to shake myself awake. My efforts proved futile. My mind failed to recall anything that happened after that point. All I remember was a hand clamping onto my face.

I feared Nephthys had won.

**Please tell me what you think of the story. It would really help me come up with ideas for the middle of the story. I'll try to update again soon. And I feel like I should change the title, if you have any suggestions, please PM me or write a suggestion in a review. **

**And a small piece of advice, read Tifknee Hevincarrr's story, "Peter Johnson" it's by far one of the funniest things I've ever read!**


	6. All is Explained By the Enemy

**Hello again my friends. I have another present for you! It's a new chapter! I'm currently juggling two other stories so don't be upset if updates start coming slowly. This is my favourite story to write out of the three, but it has the least reviews, and most chapters. Thank you again Lemariz for you review. Without you this story wouldn't be moving along so fast. PLEASE tell me what you think of this chapter guys! I changed the summary and title, as you may have noticed. **

**Chapter 6: All is Explained (By the Enemy): **

The first thing I knew was that my foot itched. Like when someone gently brushes your foot with their fingers, and even after you pull away the irritation persists. I opened my eyes and sat up. I jerked my foot away from its position, as I saw the rat that was sniffing it. I shivered in disgust. That was sick. I rubbed my foot against the concrete ground trying to shred off any infected skin.

I looked at my surroundings. I was in a concrete cellar, that had various rows of cells, I happened to be in one. The floor was damp and the walls were cracked. It reminded me of the cell I'd stayed in during my time at the fortress. I shuddered at the thought. I remembered getting tortured in that fortress; it seemed to make the burn on my neck sting.

I tried to stretch my arms, but my right arm burned with pain. I groaned under the effort to move it.

"Nico?" a voice asked.

"Mm?" I mumbled. Suddenly a sphere of light melted into the centre of the cellar. I blinked as my eyes tried to refocus. Savanna sat in the cell next to mine, she looked worse than I probably did. Her shoulders were both swollen and bleeding, a string of cuts and scratches went up both of her arms, her eyes were bloodshot, and her legs were covered in burns.

"Are you ok?" she asked. It seemed an insulting question - "I've just lost the last remaining family I have, watched an enemy rise and beat me senseless without even trying, and probably broken my shoulder or something, yeah I'm ok."

Instead I said, "I'm alive, I think."

"Your shoulder is dislocated," Savanna said.

"So it is!"

"Come here, I'll fix it." She shuffled up to the checkerboard of bars between our cells. I did the same. Savanna reached through the bars and held my shoulder with both hands. She tried to click my shoulder back into place with shaky hands; it hurt, but not badly.

"Why is it so much easier on two year olds?" she wondered aloud, before my shoulder clicked. I winced as my shoulder began aching again. I screwed up my face to mask the pain, Savanna laughed at this gesture.

"Not many girls go for the constipated looking guys," she said.

"You're one to talk," I muttered. We paused. I expected Kyle's voice to say "burn" but Kyle was back at camp. We were alone.

Savanna's face became solemn.

"So what happens now?" she asked. The truth dawned on me. I felt my heart freeze. No one knew we'd left last night. No one knew that we'd been captured. No one knew we were imprisoned. No one knew where we were, including us.

"I don't know," I admitted, beginning to try to move my right shoulder again.

"We're going to die here," Savanna whispered, "A pointless death. No one will even know." She sounded rather distressed.

"Miss Optimistic," I muttered, "Savanna, have you forgotten I can shadow-travel?"

"Well... no."

"Then put out your floating mini-sun and take my arm." I slid my left arm through the bars this time. The light extinguished and I felt Savanna's smooth hands grip my wrist.

"Let's go," she whispered. I closed my eyes and thought about the shadows. I felt their connected maze of shadows that led out into the world above us. I inhaled heavily and let the shadows overtake me.

Nothing happened. I retried, my spirits unwavering from their determination. I concentrated harder on the darkness around us. Yet again I failed. I started getting impatient.

"Let's go," Savanna urged gripping my arm tighter. I didn't admit it wasn't working. I focussed again. Still nothing. About then I mumbled some gibberish and kicked the bars next to me.

"What's up Nico?" Savanna asked. I pulled my arm back into my cage. Savanna let go of my arm. "Did you use all you energy last night?" she asked.

"No," I replied, kicking at the concrete. I heard Savanna sigh quietly. "It didn't work," I said, "We're doomed to die here. I'm going to fail my father, I'm going to fail my sister, I'm going to fail my mother, and everyone else."

"Nico, maybe it's just your shoulder," Savanna suggested.

"You were the one saying we're doomed to die moments ago. My whole family, even Hades is dead! Is there really any point in trying to escape?" I glared at her. Hopelessness was twisting anger into my soul. She was staring absently into the darkness, as if she was thinking about what I'd said. "Is there Savanna?" I asked her again. She swallowed.

"Yes," she whispered, her voice cracking, "Nico, you've been like a brother to me, ever since Michel left." Her words hit me hard. They made my core shrink down in regret. I didn't want to leave her like my family had left me. I noticed how she avoided saying "died" and I remembered how I'd told her Michel wasn't gone forever. I felt guilty that I'd asked her. I'd been the one telling her there was reason to live years ago.

"You've been my family," Savanna continued, "You've done so much for me Nico. Don't leave like that. I know Bianca wouldn't want that." She sounded hurt, like she was trying to comfort a part of herself as well.

"We'll get out," she whispered, "Michel used to say "When there's a will, there's a way." We'll get out." I watched a tear build up in her eye. I didn't know what to say. She sounded devastated and I knew no honest and possible way to comfort her. All I managed to do was slip my arm back through the bars and rest it on her back. I felt out of place, but Savanna's breathing settled.

We sat in silence, unmoving, unthinking, just wallowing in our pit of hopelessness. I couldn't say everything would be ok, because I knew all too well it wouldn't. We'd die down in that cellar, whether it is quickly or slowly, death would come, and we would die under Egyptian reign. The only thought that comforted me slightly was the fact I might see my mother again, but even that hurt to think about. So I gazed through the darkness, feeling hollow and forgotten, I was just grateful I wasn't alone.

I don't know how long passed in the soul consuming silence before something finally happened. The bars vibrated gently, and Savanna and I sat straighter. I was hoping some form of food was coming; I could've eaten anything with how hungry I was. I pulled my arm back through the barrier; my armpit ached from resting it on the bars for so long. A small stream of light seeped into the room, reflecting off the dust that had been stirred up by the disruption. A monumental shadow grew in the small patch of light. A deep growl echoed throughout the room and the cellar filled with light.

Savanna was the first to respond to the view of the room. She used extremely meaningful words like, "holy crap" to describe the scene. There were another ten cells lining the walls, each swarming with rats. Though the gross part was probably the bloodstains scattered across the walls, almost as if someone had taken a paintbrush and flicked blood on every surface in the room. It made me gag. Savanna wasn't as good at controlling her stomach and spluttered saliva and stomach juice on the ground. She held a hand over her mouth and swallowed heavily. I patted her shoulder gently trying to silently tell her she was alright, but I was gagging once again, at the sickening sight, I was just glad I didn't spew.

Something growled again. I looked towards the source of the growling. I wasn't all that surprised when I found the head of a black jackal with deep blue eyes. The part that surprised me was the human body beneath the head. Not only was this guy able to rip anyone up with his teeth, he could also probably bash them to a pulp with his fists; I doubted that I ever wanted to get in the way of his overly muscled frame.

His eyes fixed on me and his jackal-mouth opened revealing his pointed teeth, freakily enough, already stained with crimson. Savanna's breathing sped up more than necessary. I gulped and tried to muster up some courage before speaking with the guy.

"Nico," Savanna whispered, "That's Anubis, the Egyptian god of death. I don't think he's going to like you much." Her words didn't do much more than pass straight through my mind. I was too scared to register her words.

"Nico," Anubis grunted, his voice deeper and rawer than any I'd ever heard, "You have some questions before Ammit devourers your soul. I will answer them for you."

"Why would you want to answer my questions?" I muttered through gritted teeth, truthfully wondering why.

"I unlike, my relatives," Anubis said, "Believe that no matter how doomed a soul is, it deserves to be treated as an equal to those who pass into the highest regions of the afterlife." He stared straight at me. The hairs on my neck stood on end; something about his gaze was much more threatening than the Helm of Darkness. I waited for him to carry on. Anubis bared his fangs, clearly frustrated with my lack of response.

"Ask your questions," he growled. My mind immediately filtered through all the questions in my mind. I couldn't figure out what question to ask. I wanted so many answers; I didn't even know which ones I needed anymore. Luckily Savanna saved me.

"What is your whole plan?" she asked weakly, trying to sound confident, but as her voice came out loud she seemed to scare herself and her voice quivered. "Every single detail," she continued, her voice still shaking. I can't read jackal's expressions very well, but I figured Anubis was in deep thought. He scratched his chin, and fixed up his ancient skirt.

"We plan to retake the world," Anubis answered, "Simple as that." I snorted in disbelief.

"'Coz taking over the world is simple," I said. Anubis snarled.

"Every detail," Savanna repeated, "Like how you would plan to accomplish that." Anubis growled quietly for a minute, probably contemplating whether to kill us or tell us.

"We will exile your gods one by one," he answered, "Any stragglers will be coaxed into exile, and then we will once again war with the Titans, and win. Your puny empire will be crushed." He glared at Savanna for a bit. Her face remained scared, but it was clear she wanted more answers. Anubis tensed, as if he was being forced to answer Savanna's questions and he really didn't want to.

"Zan has been our leader, I don't know the full extent of the plans," he confessed, "My mother used the Greek god Hades to awaken me." I froze. I felt anger race through my veins, making my face go red. I officially hated this "Anubis" guy, the wannabe god of the Dead. He was the reason my dad was gone. I gritted my teeth and clenched my fists.

"You stole my father," I growled, starting to sound like the jackal in the room. Anubis payed no notice. "YOU STOLE MY FATHER!" I roared. I pounded the bars restraining me, forcing me to contain myself. I felt my whole self heating up with anger, for all I cared; I would've ripped this guy's head off just to get the point through to him.

"'Twas not my choice boy," Anubis responded, his voice unwavering.

"You could've left him free though!" I stormed, "Couldn't you?" The way Anubis's head turned away from me said everything - he could have. "I'm going to destroy your stupid little butt!" Something brushed against my arm. I turned and saw Savanna reaching out to me, with a saddened look on her face.

"Just let him answer," she whispered, "You'll only get us dead faster." There was a slight scolding tone in her voice, it reminded me too much of Bianca to just overlook it. The fuming fire inside me died down a bit.

"What is 'exile'?" Savanna asked. Anubis shivered like he hated the thought.

"Nothing," he responded, sounding much more humble than before, "Absolutely nothing. Just nothing."

"What?" I asked.

"Exile is a state of nothing, purely nothing. Empty cold. Alone for four thousand years. The Norse got it good." Anubis started breathing heavily, his hands shaking. He looked as if he was reliving the worst moment of his life, over and over again. I felt no sympathy for him.

"How do you exile someone?" Savanna asked. She must've poked a soft-spot with a hot iron; it was still pretty amusing to watch Anubis roar in outrage. I smirked at him, glad he was feeling some form of pain, even if it was incomparable to the pain he'd given me. Still he clearly felt obliged to answer.

"It is an ancient ritual," he explained, "There were only three who knew it when my nation was conquered."

"Who were they?" Savanna asked. Anubis growled at her.

"The elder titans, imposters of Geb and Nut, Oranus and Gaia."

"That doesn't explain the third," I pointed out.

"The youngest of their children," Anubis snarled, "Kronos." Savanna gasped like something vital had just been revealed to her.

"That means-" she tried to say, but she was quickly cut off by Anubis.

"Do you want me to answer the first question or not?" he snapped. Savanna murmured an apology. "Good," Anubis muttered, "There is one place on the earth that ties everything together; at that point you must take a soul from another mythology and utter their secret name and perform the ritual, then it is a matter of who you wish to return to the world. I was chosen when they exiled Hades. I emerged from the nothingness and Hades took my place within it." If jackals could smile evilly, Anubis was doing just that. The smile he gave me ignited my anger once more.

"Tell us the ritual!" I demanded. Anubis chuckled to himself.

"I don't know the ritual, foolish boy," he said, "It would be no use to your dead soul anyway. And don't try to escape; I am the new master of death, your powers are useless. I will enjoy watching your boy wither, Angelo." With an evil smile, he vanished, along with the little light in the room. But he left one thing in the cellar, he left me with a hunger for revenge, the people who stole my father were going to pay.

"We're getting out of here," I informed Savanna.

"Just how do you expect we will go about that?" she asked.

"Well it might help if you gave us some light," I suggested. Next thing I knew the room was full of light again and Savanna was giving me a scolding glare.

"You better have some idea that has a chance of working," she said. To admit, I had no idea, I was just going to find a way out, kill Anubis and avenge my father. Anubis would never be forgiven. I started fiddling with the screws holding the bars together.

"Nico," Savanna began.

"Mm?" I responded.

"Anubis said Kronos knew the ritual."

"And?"

"Kronos might've told Zane," she said. My jaw dropped.

"Where'd you come up with that idea?" I asked.

"I-I should've told you earlier. Ever since you came back from Troy, I'd been having dreams about Zane. He'd speak to me and once or twice he told me to meet him in various places, I didn't ever actually agree to it. He promised me everything, everything that would ever make me happy, but I knew he was going to do something crazy, and then he told me... he told me he was a son of Kronos." I gaped at Savanna.

"How long have you known this?" I asked her.

"I should've told you earlier, Zane was just so convincing, he told me not to tell anyone, but-"

I cut her off, "I already knew who hi-" My throat was constricted by some invisible force. I choked for a bit. "Stupid River," I cursed.

"He made you swear not to tell didn't he?" Savanna asked, now sitting against the bars.

"Yeah. Atlanta too, she knew as well."

"Really? When did he force you into the oath?" I told her. I told Savanna everything I could. She seemed extremely surprised by everything I told her. I ignored the pain biting at me as I told her about the last time I'd spoken with Zane in person, I was just glad my oath wasn't killing me.

"So how do we plan on getting out of here?" Savanna finally asked.

"No idea," I admitted, "But we need to kill Zane." Savanna frowned at the excitement that I showed as I said that. My stomach growled loudly, and reality hit me in the face again. Our prison was probably guarded, there was no way we could escape our cell without any equipment, we had no weapons, hunger pains were eating me away, I desperately wanted a drink, and I doubted I'd even be able to find my way back to camp if we ever managed to escape. Anger still egged me on. There had to be some chance of escape.

I continued trying to unscrew bolts with my fingers, even though I knew it was no use. Savanna was trying to pry the gates apart with a strip of metal she'd found in her cell, but all she managed to do was bend the metal. She lost interest quickly and began scratching pictures in the metal. It hurt to see her give up so easily. She was soon asleep clinging to her piece of metal. I soon gave up on trying to unscrew the millions of bolts and gave my blistering fingers some time to recover.

I heaved a sigh and tried to clear my mind. I focussed on the rats scampering around crawling through small openings in the cracked walls. It didn't take long for my eyelids to close.

My dream was so happy it seemed to mock the grief I felt in reality. I dreamt I was sitting on a sofa with my mum and my sister by a fire during winter. I had to be only six, but that didn't make the dream seem any less real. Mum had one arm around my shoulder, the other around Bianca. She was telling us a story, one about knights in shining armour, princesses, dragons, and happy endings. Mum gently ruffled my hair as she finished the story with "And they lived happily ever after." She smiled at Bianca and rubbed her neck.

"Mum," Bianca said.

"Yes?" Mum responded.

"Where's Dad?" she asked with pleading eyes. Mum pulled us in closer to her, enveloping us in warmth and peace.

"Your father is a very busy man," she said, "But he loves you both dearly. He watches you as often as he can. He is still in here." Mum placed a hand gently on my heart. I could feel my own heart beating against her hand.

"Is Dad dead?" I asked quietly. I didn't understand the full extent of death. It seemed millennia away. It seemed an unreal idea. Mum shared her radiant smile with us again.

"He is not dead," she said, "He is just very busy. One day you will meet him and he will tell you how glad he is that you're his children. He loves you two more than you know." I cuddled in closer to my mum. She held me close. I felt so safe, so warm, so peaceful. Truly, this was home.

I smiled at my mother and happiness consumed me. Never had I ever been able to remember feeling so free, so happy. It warmed my heart. Mum rubbed my back gently, while the fire crackled happily in the fireplace.

"Will we really see him?" I asked.

"Yes," Mum assured us, "You will see him again."

"Why did he leave?" Bianca asked, quietly, snuggling into Mum also.

"He never left," she whispered.

"I love you Mummy," I told her, smiling so hard it hurt, it was that nice.

"I love you Nico," Mum told me. Another wave of peace swept me up, cradling my troubled soul.

I found myself back in the dreary cellar. My mother's last word echoed through my mind, "I love you Nico." I bit back the tears that stung my eyes. Why did those perfect memories have to have fled my mind? How had I forgotten that perfect moment? How many other moments of peace had been taken from my mind? I wanted to remember more of those precious moments, but the river Lethe had washed them all away. I treasured the memory of peace. I held it close.

The memory hurt me though. It reminded me that my mother was gone. My sister was gone. My father was gone. My family was gone. Grief re-spun its icy web around me. Hopelessness took me under its shadowy wing again. My heart burned. My anger flourished. I lay back down on the cold ground.

Hours passed. I stayed silent. I couldn't think without making myself sad. It was maddening.

Finally the ground began rumbling again. Savanna's light extinguished and my eyes had to adjust to the new dim lighting. Metal thuds echoed from down the passageway. I sat up and gazed at the direction of the light. Really I had never been happier to see the orange camp T-shirt in my life, even if robotic legs sprouted from the jeans under the shirt.

"Theo!" Savanna cried when she saw the person emerge from the passage.

"Don't you ever give me crazy nightmares while I'm getting my legs replaced again," the guy warned. He turned up the passageway and called, "Kyle! They're down here!" My spirits kindled and my whole self came to life again. Theo looked at me and smiled.

"We're busting you out of here," Theo said smirking.

**PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE REVIEW! Please. It would be nice. And just a quick question (that you won't understand currently, but it would be nice if you gave an answer): Do you think the gang (Nico, Savanna, Kyle, Atlanta, and Theo) should go to Olympus or Camp Half-Blood? **


	7. Jailbreak

**So again I bring you a chapter. There's much more action in this chapter, I promise. Thank you so much Emily and Lemariz (yet again) for your reviews. And yes, my story has nothing to do with the Kane Chronicles. Riodarn makes the gods in that story far too sentimental, and Riodarn got one of his facts wrong – Nephthys is not just a river goddess. I'm disappointed with the guy. So anyway - I hope I explained everything well enough in the last chapter and I hope you enjoy this chapter. **

**I don't own Percy Jackson and the Olympians or the Heroes of Olympus series. But my story is still pretty cool. **

**Chapter 7: Jailbreak**

Theo picked the locks with a knife and a bit of robot leg power. Kyle came into the cellar holding three curved swords that didn't look Greek at all.

"Annabeth's not very happy about her phone," Kyle said, "Some crazy satyr stepped on it when he was searching for his friend." I smiled.

"How long have we been here?" I asked.

"Around two days," Kyle said, "I could've found you faster, but it was funny to watch Atlanta freak out."

"Where is Atlanta?" I asked.

"Last time I saw her she was distracting some jackal-headed guy."

"Holy Poseidon!" Savanna cursed, "That's Anubis! He's a god!" Kyle thought for a minute.

"The name sounds familiar," he said, "He's just a myth though, I'm pretty sure."

"Yeah well a lot of myths have been proven to be true recently," I said, "Right now we need to get Atlanta and get out of here." Kyle handed me one of the curved blades and threw the other to Savanna.

"I'm probably going to chop my own head off with this," she muttered, pointing the blade to the ground. Theo stepped back into the passageway and signalled us to follow with his sword.

We walked through the cement walkway checking each corner carefully for movement or sounds. We made progress quickly, but the hallways seemed endless. We didn't dare say a word to each other, as the sounds would've reverberated through the halls, bouncing off each cold wall. The hallway was only dimly lit by buzzing light bulbs that had to be at least seventy years old. We all treaded quietly, except Theo. His metal feet clashing against the ground was probably audible miles away. I'd expected for Theo to walk very stiff and robot-like, but apparently the Hephaestus cabin knew how to make perfect replicas of human legs - minus the skin and bone.

After what felt like hours of walking, we heard something. I only recognised the voice too easily. It was screaming in ancient Greek about Zeus and hydras, a curse Atlanta had used numerous times before. My exhausted starving body came back to life as her voice rang through my ears. I hefted my new strange sword and sprinted down the hallways to meet her, only guided by her echoing voice. Kyle jogged after me, but I wasn't going to wait for him.

I turned around a corner and saw one of the scorpion-men, he was different this time - he had no head. Upon his shoulders sat half a neck, stained by the thick black blood that was pouring out of it. Apparently decapitation was not a threat to the scorpion-man species, as the scorpion-man's torso and abdomen continued swinging his sword at a figure in the corner.

"Die already insane fiend!" Atlanta yelled, from her potion cornered by the scorpion-man. I locked my eyes with her perfect brown ones. I saw the relief spread across her determined face as she saw me. Her mouth popped into a slight circle, but her expression straightened quickly again, a hint of mischief in her eyes.

Scorpion-man raised his armoured tail, and Atlanta twisted her hands around the hilt of her sword. I sprung at Scorpion-man, while Atlanta swiped his tail away with her blade. I swung my blade towards Scorpion-man, the metal giving a satisfying whistle as it passed through the air. The instant my blade would've penetrated his heart; I was smashed into the wall by Scorpion-man's tail.

I groaned as my body was slammed against the wall. I felt my right arm crack in a million unnatural ways, and I fell to the ground, my body scraping against the wall. I gritted my teeth and tried to stand up straight again, with pain beating through me. Unfortunately determination didn't take away from the fact that I was drained, hungry, thirsty and wounded. My eyesight blurred as I raised my head and my knees shook under my weight. Over the ringing in my ears I heard Scorpion-man laugh at me (I wondered how that was possible with no head). I blinked heavily and clung to the wall.

Underneath a blotch of darkness in my eyes I saw Kyle begin clubbing the scorpion-man with his blade. Blood showered us - crimson blood, the normal colour of blood. Personally I preferred attacking Greek mythological creatures, much cleaner. Yet Kyle and Atlanta seemed to like the gruesome sight of blood spurting out of their enemy. It made my groggy self smirk; Atlanta was so unpredictable it was amazing. I shook myself out of my daze and watched as Kyle stabbed the scorpion-man, his blade was penetrating the scorpion's built-in armour. I gaped. Why couldn't I do that?

Then the unimaginable happened. The invincible scorpion-man's body went limp. It collapsed. Like it was dead.

"Holy Hades," Kyle muttered, "I killed it." He sounded awestruck by his own abilities. "I mean - I KILLED IT!" he yelled on a much louder note. "I, Kyle Pierce have defeated this beast! Feel free to bask in my awesomeness."

"Good job giving away our position," Savanna complimented sounding sorely angry.

"What does that mean?" Atlanta asked, "Your English is too adva-adva-adva-"

"Yeah," I said, "We need to move."

"How come I couldn't kill it?" Atlanta whined. Kyle shrugged and with his blade still on hand. Savanna groaned and begun hitting her head on the wall.

"You're in a bad enough condition already," Theo noted, "What would make you smash your face on a wall?" He sounded overly sincere for a question that should've sounded sarcastic.

"I'll tell you when we get out of here," Savanna told us, "Right now; I just want something to eat." To prove her statement her stomach growled loudly. Savanna clutched her stomach and groaned - this time because of hunger. Kyle raised his sword and continued walking. I staggered along behind him, still feeling extremely drained. Atlanta fell into step beside me, she still had that glimmer of determination in her eyes, that look suited her all too well.

We came across no further enemies as we trudged through the hallways. Kyle was humming, almost skipping along up front, tossing his strange sword in the air and catching it as we walked. Savanna looked on the verge of passing out as Theo guided her through. I managed to limp by myself, my stomach screaming in pain. Atlanta was drifting along somewhere in the middle. The only noise was our footsteps and Kyle's humming.

Kyle started humming We Are the Champions, before we came to an abrupt stop. There was an archway, letting noon-day light pour into the dingy corridor. In front of us lay freedom, eagerly awaiting our presence. Yet something seemed wrong. Nothing lay in the way of the barren land before us. There was nowhere for anything to hide.

Kyle stopped humming, but he seemed undaunted by the strain in the air. He stepped out onto the dusty brown ground and into freedom. Then he screamed a sheepish scream. Kyle didn't try to cover the fear that hit him. He dropped his sword and sprinted away from us, bleating wildly. Atlanta was stupid enough to try to catch up to him. Instead of squealing or running, she froze. She seemed petrified by whatever force was hiding from us. I couldn't stand around and do nothing. I jogged up to meet her, my body screaming with exhaustion.

I took in a gasp of fresh air. The air was as dry as dry could get. I should've been yelling in joy as the air reached my lungs, but I had been grasped by a sense of panic. We were going to be attacked. The crazy Egyptians were going to stop at nothing to kill us. They probably had their whole army behind me waiting to strike. I glanced over my shoulder to see if this was the case. To my relief no one was there, except Theo and Savanna, eyeing me to see what I was freaking out about. I knew I was going to die. Mortal dread consumed me. Don't ask why. It just did. Something... someone was waiting to kill me.

I held my breath and gripped my sword so hard my knuckles went white. I was shaking. I anxiously turned over my shoulder again. Theo and Savanna were still standing there, both of them fine. Theo gave me a confused look. He urged me back into the protection of the hallway. I tried to go back to them, I wanted to. Nevertheless, my legs refused to move. Something was coming, I could feel it. I jolted my head to the left. Nothing. By this point paranoia was streaming through my veins. I jumped at the sound of the wind rustling the few shrubs in the land.

Something gripped my wrist. In an instant, I swung around and stabbed what had grabbed me with my foreign blade. I found myself face to face with grassy green eyes. Theo gasped and clutched his abdomen, but no wound had been inflicted. We both stared at where my hooked sword was. It went straight through Theo. I started freaking out again. Theo wrenched the sword from my grasp and pulled me over to Savanna.

Sudden relief cooled my emotions. My heartbeat slowed. Everything was fine. Theo dropped the sword.

"What the Hades was that?" he asked, "You almost killed me!" I would've asked myself the same question. I had no idea what I'd done, or why I'd been so scared out in the open. Theo awaited his answer. I didn't have one.

"Why were you all freaked out when you got out there?" Theo asked.

"I-" I tried, but I had no real idea. I'd thought I was being watched, but it was only a possibility. I was less safe in the tunnel than I was outside it, yet my nerves were calmer in the tunnel. Savanna slumped against a wall. Beads of sweat fell from her face.

"Can we get out?" she asked me, looking at me with pleading eyes. My stomach ached from its emptiness. Theo looked from me to Savanna. He seemed to know that if we chose to leave the tunnel we'd wind up paralysed by thoughtless fear. He turned to Atlanta who stood deadly still, her shoulders rising and falling gently with her silent breaths. A mischievous smirk worthy of Hermes himself spread over Theo's face.

"Stay here," Theo said. He stepped up to the very end of the tunnel and opened his palms. He started muttering things under his breath. He closed his hand into a fist, and... Nothing noticeable happened. I looked from him, to Savanna, to Atlanta. Absolutely nothing had happened. Savanna gave me a confused look, I shrugged in response.

Then there was movement. The few shrubs scattered across freedom's terrain were moving. Sounds of rustling leaves and snapping twigs echoed in the silence. The shrubs' roots lifted themselves out of the ground, and started walking. The shrubs were walking! I'd seen dead men walking, never had I seen a tree walk. I gaped at the shrubs. Their roots were working like feet. The shrubs were acting like deformed octopi. Theo smirked at me.

"Brilliant idea eh?" he said, "I figured that there must be a barrier of fear or something surrounding our only escape. Fortunately, trees don't have feelings." I just gaped at him.

"But gods do," a voice growled from behind. We all turned to see the jackal-headed god Anubis himself. He hefted a golden sword like the one on the ground Theo had dropped earlier. Anubis barked threateningly at us. Savanna jumped like an Olympian (ha ha, no, not the gods).

"I showed you compassion when your needs were dire and now you fail to repay the favour," Anubis said.

"When did you show us compassion?" I spat, noting Theo's slight movements to pick up the weapon on the ground out of the corner of my eye.

"I answered your questions," Anubis snarled.

"You already stole my father!" I yelled, "You're the one still owing debt!" I felt anger bubbling up inside me again. Adrenaline started spilling into my bloodstream and giving my weakened body the strength to stagger up to Anubis and try to appear threatening.

"That wasn't my choice!" he growled.

"And I'm Zeus!" No thunder rumbled overhead like it normally should have. The world was going to fall into chaos without Zeus's constant nagging.

"You're unlucky Sekhemet failed to kill you!"

"You're unlucky your ugly face came out of exile!" We stared daggers at each other. Somehow I knew our rivalry would last for eons. Metal scraped against the cement beneath our feet. Theo put the sword into my hands.

"You need to settle this," he whispered as he stepped back. I gripped the sword firmly, looking forward to the satisfaction I'd get when I pried Anubis's immortal heart out of his chest. There was going to be a lot of blood.

Anubis jabbed forwards first. I quickly swung my sword against his and a deafening clang echoed through the silence. The hook-like sword made it much easier to catch my opponent's blade. The only down side was, my opponent happened to have one as well - and he was immortal. I thrust my sword forward and tried a few side swings. Anubis parried all my attacks easily; in fact, he was only using one hand. This sent my fury through the roof.

I yelled as I pushed forwards attacking Anubis with all the energy adrenaline had to offer me and a little more. Sweat beaded down my face. I could feel every pulse in my body beating heavily. Anubis pressed forward with his blade, spinning it in wild circles as he moved forwards against me. I backed away as he came at me, but I wasn't the least bit deterred from my determination to gain revenge. I tried to stop his blade in its tracks with my own hooked sword. Anubis was spinning his sword with so much momentum that my sword was flicked out of my hands and behind Anubis.

Anubis yelled and started slashing at me violently. I ducked and dodged, but I was drawing ever-closer to the barrier of fear outside the passageway. Finally fear flooded me again. I started shaking. Dodging ten times more severely than I wanted to each time Anubis swung. Mortal dread consumed me. I crumpled to my knees and fell face-first into the dirt. My blood was flowing on overload. My pulses were beating heavily enough for me to see the movement in my wrists as they pulsed.

"You better hope my father is feeling merciful when he returns," Anubis growled in his harsh, dry voice. I was shaking. I was shivering even though it felt like it was a million and two degrees outside. Something tugged at my foot. It wrapped around my legs, something cold and hard. Before I knew it, I was being dragged away from Anubis's furious face.

I was dragged along the dirt, I didn't do anything to try and evade my captor. Fear started pulsing through my veins again; I would've frozen with fear if I wasn't being dragged across the ground. My legs were now tied together by whatever was pulling me. I was pulled past the place I'd last seen Atlanta. She wasn't anywhere in sight. My heart skipped a beat. I was freaking out again.

To add to my fear, Anubis was now trying to catch up with me again, yet to great relief, he'd spared Savanna and Theo. The thing pulling me jolted forwards and started speeding through the coarse dirt. Anubis had to sprint faster to try to hit me. I clawed my fingers into the ground so I could make a good dust cloud I might be able to lose Anubis in. As much as it hurt my arms, it worked. The orange dirt flew everywhere. It shot up into the air at alarming speed, and spread through it even faster. In fact, I was so good I choked myself on the dirt that was flying free from under my palms.

Air whistled through my hair as I was dragged further and further away from Anubis, I could only hope I'd lost him. Every part of my body was aching when whatever was dragging me finally stopped. The bonds constricting my legs slackened and I pushed myself off my stomach.

"I think I love plants even more now," a voice said. Before I knew it, Kyle was crouching next to me, still clinging to one of the strange hooked swords. I blinked the dust out of my eyes and looked around. A shrub sitting in front of me raised one of its roots as if to salute me, before it planted itself in the dusty red soil. I got to my feet wearily. My head rose too fast and my eyesight blurred.

When my eyesight cleared I saw where we were. I practically froze in shock. The Grand Canyon. It lived up to that name, particularly when you were standing right on the edge of the rocky red cliff face watching it meet up with a purple horizon. I was on a ridge, a little further down from the main ledge, so any crazy Egyptian pursuers wouldn't be able to see us. And (to my great relief) Atlanta was sitting right on the edge of the canyon, silently staring in absolute awe at the site's magnificence.

I could hear Savanna yelling in the distance, drawing closer to our position. No one was alarmed by her cries. I looked in her direction and sure enough she was being dragged down to our ridge, by a shrub, its roots coiled around her legs. The shrub's roots released Savanna and crawled back up the ridge. Savanna lay on the ground groaning for a while before Theo was pulled down. He looked a lot more comfortable with roots strangling his legs than any of us felt. He saluted the plant when it gently let him go and the plant saluted him, while it backed away.

"I think Theo just saved all our sorry butts," Kyle muttered. Theo smirked, but paid no reply. Instead he helped Savanna sit up, because she couldn't push herself up all that well with shoulders that had been mauled by a giant bird.

"But he saved your butt twice," Kyle said to me.

"Well I saved the demigods army... twice," I said.

"Oh! We got a tough one over here!" Kyle clapped me on the back. "You're probably hungry," he noted, "I don't think we have anything to eat." I ignored the disappointment that flared through me and my empty stomach and shrugged.

"I've grown accustomed to prison food over the last few months. You know? First Gaia, then Troy, then Egypt." I said it like it was nothing, when really; having all those memories flood back to me didn't do me any good at all.

Soon enough we were all sitting back down. No food, no water, no warmth, no shelter. Atlanta was the one that asked the question playing through everyone's mind.

"What do we do now?" she asked. Everyone thought hard. None of us had any idea of what we should do.

"Well," Theo started, "We need to tell people that Egypt's back. I myself don't understand any of it, but those scorpion guys and that jackal man seemed pretty dang real to me." I nodded in agreement.

"We should go to Olympus," I said.

"They wouldn't believe us," Savanna remarked, her voice weak, "We should tell Chiron and then get him to tell the Olympians."

"Zeus wouldn't believe Chiron," Kyle spat, "Lightning Man would kill the horse and claim he's not needed anymore."

"Zeus is gone," I whispered. Everyone stared.

"You're kidding me right?" Kyle asked his eyes as wide as satellites.

"We'd know if Zeus was gone," Theo supplied, "Wouldn't we?"

"No," I said, "The gods are too arrogant to accept it, let alone tell it to mortals." Atlanta looked up at me and trapped my gaze in her mesmerising brown eyes.

"How do you know all this?" she asked, looking very confused, "The Unspeakable One wouldn't dare let you know that." I sighed as my eyesight fell to the ground.

"I'll explain later," I decided, "I need some time to figure it all out myself."

"Understandable," Theo remarked, causing Atlanta's jaw to drop, the English language has a lot of extremely large words.

"I don't know about you guys," Kyle yawned, "But I need some sleep. We ain't gonna make it to Camp in tonight." And with that Kyle lay on his back and fell to sleep almost instantly.

I sat near the edge of our ridge, tiredness overwhelming me, yet my thoughts refused to settle. Truth was setting into my mind. Hades was no longer the god of death. My demigod powers were diminishing. I couldn't see easily to the other side of the canyon under the moon's dim glow. The dead obeyed Nephthys now. Even the shadows wouldn't heed my words anymore. Two people I thought were invincible were gone. I looked up at the cloudless sky, and felt the cold winter wind sting my flesh.

Atlanta came and sat next to me. The only person who'd found sleep remained Kyle. She gently gripped my hand. Her skin was so smooth, so warm; it brought small comfort to my mind. It felt as if she was supporting the weight pressing down on my shoulders. I watched the reflection of the moon in her eyes. We exchanged no words. Words would bring us back to the reality of our situation. Nothing seemed to matter.

After a short while of sitting next to Atlanta my eyelids began to feel heavy. Our hands parted, and the burden I was forced to bare toppled onto my shoulders again. I lay down slowly, and exhaustion took over my body. It was just a shame that my problems would probably follow me into my dreams.

**So, they escaped Anubis and killed a scorpion guy, nothing else amazing. Next we march to Olympus! **

**Please review guys. I'd love it if we made it to ten reviews before I update again. If you've favourited either this story or Son of Time, please review. If you don't review I'll start requesting with names. If you've read this story just review. I love any form of review I promise! If I've received a review from you already or not, it doesn't take away from the value of your review. I do compare the number of visitors with the number of reviews; I know how many of you have passed the opportunity. Not cool. **

**Heads up: I'm thinking of bringing Savanna's P.O.V. back into the story, she is becoming a vital piece on the chessboard. The story will still include Nico's P.O.V. as well. **


	8. International Egyptian Mythology Day

**Hello again. This is the Savanna chapter I promised. It's pretty long, I hope you enjoy it. Please review guys. I've got two other stories going, both with twenty four reviews and less chapters than this one. If you want this story to keep going at a faster pace, or just to keep going at all, you'll have to review. I'm sorry guys! **

**I don't own PJO. And I figured that instead of writing "Savanna's P.O.V." at the start of each chapter, you'd be smart enough to understand that writing in italics is Savanna's.**

_**Chapter 8: International Egyptian Mythology Awareness Day**_

_I was so tired that night it hurt. Every muscle in my body ached like Tartarus. And to add to the pain my shoulders remained impossible to move without reopening the wounds I'd earned when I'd been kidnapped by a giant flaming bird. Yet above all the pain my mind was racing with a million and one questions and answers. Everything was so unusual now. After everything with the Egyptian gods I was wondering if I'd been blown to another planet. Nothing seemed to make sense. And on top of my confusion, my emotions were going ballistic. Theo had lost his legs for me and even then he'd had to sacrifice more to save my pitiful self. And what had I been able to do to make up for it? Nothing. To sum up - my past few days had sucked. _

_I lay on the ground, wanting desperately to get some form of rest before my life got even more complicated. Where was Justin when I needed a shoulder to cry on? I could still hear Theo and Atlanta discussing who should take first watch. Theo seemed a bit stirred up by everything that had happened that day. Atlanta on the other hand sounded calm as always. She was always so confident, so brave, so strong, and she had perfect hair. She'd done what others in her time had thought were impossible, she'd saved Nico's life at least twice, she'd lost family and moved on. She was everything I wasn't. She was everything I wanted to be. That made me hate her, even if my closest friends thought she was amazing. That was the whole problem. It was obvious Kyle and Nico thought she was amazing, they never seemed to do anything to hide it, yet I never earned any form of compliment or kindness from them. Hold the door open for Atlanta, but drop it on Savanna! That's just boys. Worship the pretty girls, forget about the others. I truly hated Atlanta. To admit, I was jealous. _

_"I'll watch first," Atlanta insisted in her more fluent language, ancient Greek, "You've used a lot of power bringing us here. You need rest." _

_"I'm fine," Theo replied, also speaking in ancient Greek, "You're the one who fought our way in." _

_"If you insist," Atlanta finally concluded, "I'll be here if you need me." I heard her shuffle around and soon enough her breathing turned into the sounds of a dying pig. Atlanta didn't strike me as the snoring type. Theo snickered quietly at her snores. I smiled at his laugh. It was so cute, so, so cute. _

_Dreams had been eating up the little sanity and freedom I had left. Zane was always there. He always appeared a year older than me when he should've been a year younger. Forgive me if I'm wrong but the traitors are always the gorgeous ones. Fifteen year-old Zane's skin always shimmered like bronze, his eyes always shining with that strangely alluring golden sheen, his frame tall and strong, and his jaw don't get me started on that perfect jaw. Seriously, had he been working with me, I would've been kissing the ground he walked on. He always offered me power, riches, protection, yet there was always a catch to his presence. Always some form of deal he wanted me to agree with, some place he wanted me to go, something he wanted me to do. I probably would've done everything, but I treaded cautiously. I knew I shouldn't have trusted Zane after he took Justin. He just took Justin. No reason. No warning. Not even a catch. I didn't trust him. I couldn't trust him. _

_That night was different. _

_I found myself standing by a creek, surrounded by foliage and reeds. The place looked remote and empty, but I figured Zane was around somewhere. I thought this location was strange for a guy like Zane. He always tried to appear powerful, and he always tried to appear in a place of power. Never a place as weak as a creek. __**(A.N. Haha! That rhymes! She must be a daughter of Apollo.)**_

_Then his figure emerged from behind me. He was different. He was him. Like when I first saw him. He looked like that innocent confused thirteen year-old again. He looked at me with sad eyes, like he'd just done something he regretted. _

_"Hi Savanna," Zane greeted turning to the ground. His acting didn't make me think any differently about him. He wanted something from me again. _

_"What do you want?" I muttered, glaring at the kid. He stared up at me with sincerely sorry eyes. They were tearing up. _

_"Please," he started, "Help me." As he looked into my eyes with his pleading eyes, I couldn't refuse him. _

_"What?" I asked. _

_"Help me," Zane repeated, "You're the only one who understands me. You could help me. I could give you Justin back." Tears melted into his eyes. This was completely abnormal for Zane. _

_"What's up?" I asked him. _

_"You're in danger," he informed me. Because I didn't know that did I? Not like I'd been attacked by two Egyptian gods or anything. _

_"And..." _

_"Justin," Zane muttered, "I can give Justin back to you. You just need to join me. You'll both be safe." He looked at me, with those golden eyes. I could feel my heart shattering for the kid. He was so confused. He was so alone. I wanted to help him. _

_I opened my mouth to speak, but Zane cut in front of me. _

_"Just promise not to tell anyone anything I've said to you, in any way, or form." _

_"I promise," I agreed. _

_"Swear it," Zane urged, "On the River Styx." _

_"I swear on the River Styx I will keep Zane's terms," I promised. No thunder rumbled overhead, but then again I was dreaming. _

_Zane turned back to the ground. _

_"Come with me," he begged, "You're the only one who cares about me Savanna. I need you." I shook my head. The slight movement seemed to take all my energy. _

_"You and your friends will be safe," he told me. He locked eyes with me again. I swear he could see straight into my soul. The poor kid was so lost, so alone. He needed me. Not Nico, not Atlanta, Zane needed me. _

_I decided on a final response, as much as it broke my heart and hurt my soul. "I wi-" I didn't finish my sentence. I was pulled from the scene. _

_I blinked viciously. I was back on the sandy ridge. Sunlight was back in the sky. Kyle was nudging my stomach - with his hoof. _

_"What?" I groaned. _

_"Told you I could wake her up," Kyle called to someone else, "You all owe me a drachma!" _

_"At least one of us slept well," Nico said. _

_"Where's my drachma?" Kyle asked him. I sat up slowly, wincing under the strain on my shoulders and the pain in my stomach. Nico and Kyle developed an argument on whether Nico actually owed Kyle a drachma, they'd been betting on who could wake me up. _

_Atlanta was seeing how far she could peg rocks over the canyon. As it turns out, she could peg them more than halfway. _

_"You alright?" a voice asked me. I turned my head to see Theo. _

_"Uh," I answered stupidly, "Well, I'm better than last night." He smiled his perfect smile. _

_"Do you need help standing up?" he asked me. I felt a bit offended, he underestimated my strength. I tried to stand up myself, but my injured arms refused to take the weight. And I still hadn't eaten in ages. _

_Theo noted my failure and offered me a hand. I looked at his hand carefully. I wanted help, I needed help, but I didn't want to admit it. Reluctantly, I placed my own hand in his. There seemed to be a moment of hesitation before we gripped each other's palms, but when we did, I swear my hand fitted into his palm perfectly. Even though the moment was brief, there was a connection. _

_When I finally got to my feet, with Theo helping to steady me, I couldn't pull my eyes away from his. They were so intricate; a million different shades of green were mixed into those perfect eyes. His eyes were amazing. _

_"HOLY POSEIDON KYLE!" Nico screamed. I whipped around to see what was going on. Kyle and Nico were right on the edge of our ridge, only inches from falling to their deaths. They were locked in an epic battle, but Nico appeared to be losing, as he regained footing dangerously close to the edge. I felt fear attack me. The idiots were going to kill each other! _

_"You owe me!" Kyle spat. _

_"I was kidding about the drachma!" Nico yelled, "You don't need to kill me for it!" Kyle glared at Nico. _

_"You still owe me." _

_"Are you insane?" I asked, "You guys are going to kill each other over a drachma!" _

_"Pretty much," Kyle said. I stared. _

_"Are we going to Olympus or not?" Atlanta inquired. We all turned to her. _

_"Well if Kyle and Nico continue trying to kill each other, no," I replied. _

_"If Nico doesn't give me his drachma then no," Kyle said. Nico pulled a frustrated face and groaned. _

_"I don't have any drachmas here," Nico said, "They're back at camp." _

_"Well that's where I'm going then!" Kyle decided, beginning to climb out of our ridge. Atlanta grabbed his collar and yanked him back down. _

_"You are coming with us," she growled. She glared at Kyle for a while to make sure the message set in. _

_So we left. Our group exited the ridge, Kyle, Atlanta, and Theo carrying the weird swords they'd found yesterday. I still hadn't told the others what I'd figured out about those swords, but I thought it was best if I kept my mouth shut until I got a decent meal, my body felt weak from not getting enough food. We walked along barren landscape for almost an hour, following the canyon's path before we ran into some form of civilisation. _

_A humble settlement sat in the middle of nowhere. There were probably only four rooms in the house, its windows were nonexistent, strips of timber had come off from various places, and its chipping wood and black writing covering the house didn't give all that much of a friendly feel. My anxious nerves told me that only monsters could be living in such a place, but no one else decided to listen. Our legs were all in need of a break and we were all hungry and thirsty. _

_Kyle was elected to knock on the door. He knocked heavily and tried to drum out the beat of some song with his knocks. No response came. Kyle knocked again. There was still no response. The rest of us waited behind him anxiously. Kyle knocked a third time, this time he was angry. He hit his hand against the wood so hard that the splintering door swung open. Kyle looked at the open hallway in astonishment. _

_"Well?" Atlanta asked, "Why aren't we inside yet?" She pushed forwards and walked into the house. She had no fear, she was probably stupid. Kyle shrugged at us, but followed her in anyway, leaving the doorway clear for us to see through. _

_I didn't blame Kyle for his astonishment as I looked into the house. The hallway was strangely inviting. Velvet red coloured walls, with elegant candle lamps screwed into the walls, giving the room and even richer feel, covering one wall was a collage of family photos, and even an umbrella bucket. The smell of freshly baked bread lingered in the air; my mouth probably started flooding with saliva. _

_Nico entered the hallway next and followed after Kyle. Theo stepped into the building after him. Man that guy had an amazing walk, Theo pretty much floated in, whether it was the work of the Hephaestus campers or not, I didn't care. I tripped in after him. I made the mistake of swinging my arms out to the walls to stop my fall. I felt the skin around my wounds tear slightly and my shoulders started stinging like Hades again. _

_"Good job," Kyle said sarcastically from ahead. I shot him a threatening look. He smiled at me. _

_"You okay?" Theo asked me. Nico only glanced at me, but pushed through the narrow hallway over to Atlanta. I growled at the back of his head. I was only too right that he'd grown too attached to that girl. _

_Theo put a wide warm hand on my back, sending butterflies through my system. _

_"You right?" he asked me. I merely nodded. Kyle turned back down the hallway. _

_"Is there any food here?" I asked Theo. _

_"Dunno," he said, "Probably, hopefully. I probably just jinxed us." _

_"There better be food," I muttered, "Or I'll make you regret saving my life... Twice." Theo laughed like it was actually a funny comment. _

_"Well I hope you'll regret pinning me to a rock when we find food." _

_"What?" I asked him. _

_"Don't you remember?" he asked me, raising one of his eyebrows, and cocking his head sideways. "That game of Capture the Flag last month? The game no one won." I went through every memory of Capture the Flag I had. It didn't take long for me to realise where I'd seen Theo before. I held back my amusement as I remembered the day. _

_"And then Nico left you stuck to the rock overnight?" I asked. Theo nodded in confirmation looking heavily embarrassed. _

_"That's me," he sighed. I couldn't believe I hadn't recognised him earlier! He was the one guy, who I could beat, and he saved my life... twice, surely I should've recognised him. _

_"Guys," Kyle called from down the hallway, "We found a lounge room. Atlanta says I should ask you guys if I should eat the couch." _

_"When did you start listening to me?" I asked him, "Last time y-" _

_"Good point," Kyle decided, "I'll go eat. Nico's looking for a kitchen. For some reason the idiot went upstairs." _

_"He'd love to hear you say that," I muttered sarcastically. _

_"Actually he wouldn't," Kyle told me, "You've know him for what? Two years now, and you think he'd like it if I called him an idiot!" _

_"I was being sarcastic." Kyle paid no attention to my words. _

_"Gee Savanna. I thought you couldn't sink any lower." Kyle shook his head at me, with a mock disappointed expression. He suddenly sprung back into his previous happiness. "I'll be eating the couch if anyone wants me." Theo gave me a confused glance, I gave him an annoyed one. _

_"Should we look for a kitchen on ground level?" Theo asked. My empty stomach growled again, bringing me back to the intense pain burning inside me. _

_"Yeah," I groaned, "The sooner we get food the better." _

_We headed down the hallway together. My stomach threatened to eat itself a couple of times along the short way. There were only three doors in the posh hallway, one led to an equally posh lounge room, another led to an empty walk-in wardrobe, and the other led into a bare kitchen. A rusted fridge sat in the far corner, its door hanging open, its contents non-existent. An oven covered in dirt and an unhealthy looking orange paste, was crammed up against the fridge. A single sink sat across from the oven, but every inch of it was covered in thick green mush. Even the floor of the kitchen was covered in a layer of dust and patches of grime. It was truly sickening. _

_"I'm not hungry anymore," I decided, putting a hand over my nose and mouth to mask the stale odour lingering in the air. Theo's face turned ten shades lighter; he placed both hands over his mouth. _

_"Don't blame you," he said through his hands. _

_"I'd prefer to be eating the couch with Kyle," I muttered, breathing as little as possible. Theo chuckled at my bad joke. _

_"Let's get out then," he said, stepping back. _

_"Good idea." I turned around, and started to follow Theo, but something made me stop. _

Savanna_, something called. _

_"What?" I asked. _

_"I didn't say anything," Theo informed me. I looked around the feral kitchen. _

_Savanna, the voice called again. This time I noticed, it wasn't a physical voice, but one in my head, inaudible to the outside word. Yet the words weren't my own. _

Spare a few minutes for me_, the voice beckoned_, Stay a little longer. _The voice was soothing and calm, yet strong and powerful. Not the power that made me want to cower in the corner and slide back into my shell, a voice that sent such uncontainable joy into my mind, it warmed my whole soul. _

Savanna,_ the voice said again, _You need rest. Stay for a minute. You will be rested_. I frowned at the air. I had once heard (from somewhat unreliable sources) that a similar voice had belonged to a sleeping Gaia. I was cautious that this might be a similar case. Zane probably wanted me to finish my answer. As they say, curiosity killed the cat, and unfortunately, I wanted to know what this voice wanted, and what it was. _

_"You go to the lounge and hang with Kyle," I insisted, "I'll check for food anyway." _

_"I'll check with you," Theo offered. _

_"No, really I'm fine to look alone. It's only a broken-down kitchen. I think I can manage." I smiled at him. He stared at me for a while in silence, a smile threatened to form on his face. His warm green eyes gazed into mine, and then probably through to my soul. He suddenly turned away, his ears turned pink. _

_"You can search then," he said, "I'll wait for when you're done." He smiled half-heartedly at me and walked through the kitchen door. Regret tugged at my mind. If this was some evil voice in my head, did I really want to be alone? _

_I waved him off with a false smile on my face. I watched him walk out of the room, his robotic legs carrying him flawlessly. His shadow disappeared from the doorway, and I turned back to the gross kitchen. _

Thank you Savanna_, the voice in my head whispered, _I will be with you shortly_. I looked around the room in confusion, and then back at the doorway. _

_"Hello?" I tried, but the room was empty. I stepped forward on the floorboards, the wood creaking heavily beneath my weight. I eyed the oven suspiciously. Sure, it was far too small for anyone to fit into it, but it was worth a shot. I opened the oven with my foot, ignoring the stench it produced. It was empty. _

_"Hello Savanna," a voice greeted. I squealed, and jumped around to see the room's new occupant. _

_"You okay in there?" a voice from the hallway asked. I heard Kyle's voice get into an argument with the other voice, but I wasn't listening. Before me stood either the goddess herself, or some crazy look-alike. I could never forget those warm, comforting eyes. _

_I felt obliged to kneel. _

_"Lady Hestia," I whispered, bowing my head. _

_"Raise your head Savanna," Hestia said her voice as homely as her eyes. I lifted my head to look back at her face. It didn't strike me as beautiful, but there was clearly something of some form of beauty in her face. _

_"Why'd you come here?" I asked her. She smiled brightly at me. _

_"To speak to you," Hestia told me. My mind scrolled through the list of mistakes I'd made recently. _

_"What about?" I asked, praying it had nothing to do with Zane. _

_"Sadly I bring a warning," Hestia told me, her eyes gleaming with sincere sadness. My heart sunk in dread. There was yet another crisis for me to face in this crazy existence. _

_"But you need nourishment first," Hestia said, a smile spreading over her face. She clapped her hands and the kitchen morphed. It went from the dusty, dirt filled, wasteland it was to a sparkling, operational, and posh kitchen. The air filed with aromas of freshly baked bread, and the sweet smell of sugar. I almost collapsed with happiness. There was food. _

_Hestia smiled at my excitement. Just sniffing the air seemed to help me fill up. She walked over to a bench and picked up a huge bowl full of pastries. I looked at her pleadingly, as hungry as I was, I didn't feel like stealing from a goddess would do me any good. _

_Hestia snapped her fingers and a dining room formed in the kitchen, the wood quaking violently as the house expanded. I'd never seen such a peculiar thing. A table sprung out of the floorboards followed by two chairs, as if the floor was water (I treaded quite lightly after that). _

_Hestia pulled out a seat for me and sat in the one opposite, placing the bowl of various pastries in the centre of the mahogany table. I eyed them longingly. Hestia smirked. _

_"Take some," she offered, "I know you're hungry." I snatched up three pastries in the blink of an eye, before practically inhaling them. Eating had never felt so good. The small pastries filled my stomach to the brim; I doubted I could fit anything more in. I felt so much stronger just after eating the simple snack. _

_Hestia smiled at me again. _

_"He was right," she said quietly, looking me straight in the eye. _

_"Who was right?" I asked, suddenly curious. _

_"So much indecision," she remarked. I felt guilty. Did Hestia know how I'd tried to answer Zane? Did she know a part of me longed to join him? I felt nerves stir within me. _

_"What?" I asked. _

_"Yet they are beautiful eyes still," Hestia said. I felt quite awkward at this point. _

_"What are you on?" That was probably the wrong question to ask the goddess, but I asked it still. Hestia looked mildly offended. _

_"I'm sorry," I added hastily, "I just think it's a bit weird when-" _

_"It's okay," Hestia cut in, "I understand. I guarantee you wouldn't find it weird if you knew who said those words before me." My curiosity thickened. _

_"Who?" I asked her with wide eyes. Hestia just chuckled. _

_"He'll tell you soon enough," she said. A guy? A guy had complimented my eyes? I was desperate to know who had said that. _

_"Kyle?" I guessed. Hestia didn't respond. "Nico?" I tried, earning no further response, "Justin? Theo?" I still earned no response. "Lee? Lachlan? Ian? Ben? Mitchell? Greg?" I was listing random campers now. "Percy? Leo? That other guy... Reece?" Hestia just shook her head. _

_"You needn't worry about boys at the moment," Hestia informed me, "You need to worry about yourself." The way she spoke it so plainly, her eyes not breaking away from mine, sent chills down my spine. _

_"Me?" I asked. _

_"Important decisions lie before you this week," Hestia told me, "Don't let them go to waste." I couldn't bear hearing this from such powerful eyes. I knew she wasn't lying, and it made me want to hide in the corner forever. I turned my gaze to the table._

_"Savanna," Hestia said, her voice concerned, "You are an important element in trials ahead. You are more than you know." I could feel her eyes staring at me. "You can't hide from your fears. You can't hide from the world." I raised my head so I could just see her eyes. _

_"What's going to happen," I asked her, feeling a bit overwhelmed by what I'd just heard. _

_"I don't know," she confessed, "I know that you are a vital part on the path ahead. No one else can fulfil your duty. Choose your fate wisely, or our very essence may crumble._

_"Take this," Hestia instructed, producing a small, sealed, leather pouch from a pocket, "I give it as a gift to you, in hope you will give it to someone else. You must promise me you won't ever open it." _

_"What the Hades does that mean?" I asked urgently. Hestia just shook her head. _

_"Promise me you won't open it," she said, sounding deadly serious. _

_"I promise I won't open it," I promised. Hestia placed the pouch in my hand. The pouch felt empty; there was nothing special about it. I was wondering why she wanted me to keep it closed so badly. I slipped the pouch into my own pocket and forced a friendly smile at Hestia. _

_"Take the food to your friends," she instructed, "Also your father isn't busy today. And tell your friends about the Egyptian blades. You forgot to yesterday." She smiled again before her form shimmered and vanished. _

_"Thanks for stressing me out," I muttered to myself, "First sign of madness. Great Hestia. You're driving me insane. Wouldn't even tell me who said my eyes were pretty. Could anyone be more vague? Shut up Savanna. You're talking to yourself." I picked up the bowl of pastries and walked out of the kitchen. _

_I walked into a posh living room with a wooden frame of a couch against the far wall and a staircase to my left. Kyle lay next to the couch's frame with his eyes closed. _

_"I found food!" I called. Kyle just groaned. _

_"I've eaten," he moaned. I laughed inside myself. Nico jumped down a flight of stairs and took the bowl from my grasp. He stuck two pastries in his mouth and crammed another two into one hand. Atlanta jogged down the steps next and took the bowl from Nico, balancing it on the couch frame. She took two and ate rather viciously. The poor pastry didn't stand a chance. _

_"Take it easy man," Kyle muttered on the floor, speaking to Nico, "You're going to spew if you eat any faster." Nico crammed the remainder of the pastries into his mouth and attempted a reply (the mashed up grossness inside his mouth did not look very attractive). _

_"Avna's teh un oo spews," he tried. _

_"Beautiful Nico," I said, averting my eyes from his mouth. _

_"You have a point there Nico," Kyle said. _

_"You understood that?" I asked. _

_"Yeah," Kyle replied like only an idiot wouldn't be able to understand it. He sat himself up and groaned again. Everyone was quiet for a moment. _

_"Where's Theo?" I asked Kyle. Kyle pointed upstairs. _

_"O orse Avna ont oh air eeo is," Nico tried through a mouthful of food. I closed my eyes as he chewed open mouthed. _

_"Nico. Swallow," I instructed. Nico only closed his mouth. _

_"How are we going to hello Olympus?" Atlanta asked. I smiled at her inability to understand the English language. _

_"Theo's IMing someone," Kyle explained, "It'd take them hours to get here though. We may as well start walking." _

_"My feet are already dead," I complained. _

_"Get over it Princess." I glared at Kyle. Kyle smiled. _

_"Shut up." _

_"You ain't going to make me," Kyle said, "Your feet are too sore and useless to be bothered to make me. You know glaring at me won't melt me, right?" I lowered my brow. "Apparently not." Kyle stood up and sat on the remains of the couch. "You know, it's really annoying when an ugly face glares at you for ages?" Kyle said. Anger was boiling inside me, but I wasn't going to give Kyle the satisfaction of a response. _

_"And so Kyle leaves Savanna speechless yet again!" Kyle announced. _

_"The Grey Ladies won't take us to Olympus," a voice from the staircase announced. We all turned to Theo. _

_"Ee ot ood!" Nico tried, still consuming pastries. _

_"I see that," Theo said. _

_"Why am I the only one who can't understand him?" I asked. Theo shrugged. Nico finally took my advice and swallowed. _

_"You may be good at archery, but you're pathetic at everything else," he told me. I felt really insulted. I'd told Nico only days ago I thought of him as a brother. Did he not understand how much that meant to me? I glared into his dark brown eyes. It was like boys to take stuff for granted. _

_"How are we getting to Olympus then?" Nico asked, ignoring my glares. _

_"No idea," Theo admitted. _

_"We walk," Kyle suggested. _

_"No thanks," I said. _

_"Well if you have no better ideas," Nico started. Then my genius idea hit me. I had to thank Hestia for putting the thought in my head though. _

_"Can anyone spare a drachma?" I asked, "I have an idea." Theo pulled a coin from his jeans' pocket and tossed it to me. I miraculously caught it and headed upstairs. _

_I found a bathroom and got a tap running. I summoned a ball of light to illuminate the room and reflect through the water. A rainbow was formed. A shimmering and small rainbow, yet it still retained all the beauty any rainbow had to offer. _

_"To my father Apollo," I said, tossing the drachma into the rainbow, "Accept my offering Iris." The rainbow shimmered and became a misty vapour, swirling into a scene. _

_Soon enough I saw the face of my father, Apollo. Scary part was, he looked like a cocky teenager, only a few years older than me, with the same amber eyes that I had and the same sandy coloured hair my brother Will had inherited. Apollo was driving his sun chariot/car. I can't tell you how disturbing it was to think that the same teenager driving the expensive, modern vehicle was my dad. _

_Dad gave me his blinding smile when he saw me. He showed no signs of surprise or concern for me. _

_"Hey Savvy!" he greeted, with an overly happy voice. _

_"Hey Dad," I greeted, waving a hand slightly. _

_"How's my favourite daughter going?" _

_"You called Adele your favourite daughter only two weeks ago."_

_"I can have more than one favourite!" _

_"Sure thing Dad." _

_"So what's up?" he asked. _

_"Well if you haven't noticed by now," I started, "I recently spent two days in a cellar-" _

_"After you ran off to the Underworld with Hades's kid," Dad remarked, "Go on." I scowled at my father. _

_"And so we escaped, and now we're stuck in the middle of nowhere." _

_"That's nice sweetheart." _

_"Dad! Do you not get what I want?" _

_"I have a vague idea, but I'm hoping I don't have to do anything. It's been busy after that attack on Camp. Had to go check on Atlas. Fun guy." _

_"I really don't care." _

_"So you're lost in the middle of nowhere with Hades's kid?" Dad confirmed. _

_"And others," I added. _

_"But mainly Hades's kid." _

_"What does that even mean?" I ran a hand through my hair in frustration. Dad smirked at me. "You're kidding me. You think me and Nic- Just no Dad. Okay?" Dad just smiled. I sighed in frustration. _

_"I'll believe whatever you say Savvy," Dad said with a wink. I just stared at Dad in astonishment. _

_"Anyway," I tried again, "We need a lift. Preferably to Olympus or Camp." Dad put his more serious face on. _

_"Why Olympus?" he asked. _

_"Stuff's happened, and-" _

_"Don't tell me! You need to tell ole' Hades you and his son have a thing right?" _

_"Ew! No! We don't!" _

_"It's okay Savvy, I don't mind." Dad's smile came back. "I feel a haiku coming on!" _

_"No Dad, please!" _

_"Savvy and Nico,_

_Unending, undying love,_

_I am very cool." I buried my face in my hands. I could feel my face flushing. _

_"Why am I related to you?" I wondered aloud. _

_"Well you see-" _

_"Will you give us a lift or not?" I asked. _

_"Sure Savvy," Dad decided, "I'll be with you shortly." He saluted me. "'Til we meet." _

_"'Til we meet." I waved goodbye and watched Dad swipe his hand through the mist. The image vanished, so I headed downstairs. _

_"Where'd you go?" Theo asked when I came down. _

_"I called my dad," I explained, "And got us a ride to Mt. Olympus." _

_"When's he coming?" Nico asked. I shrugged and Atlanta made her way to the window. She pulled a curtain back and stared out through it. Nico watched her intently. I raised an eyebrow at him, he didn't notice. _

_Hestia's other piece of advice hit me again. _

_"Guys," I announced, "I have a theory for why we couldn't kill the Egyptian mythological creatures!" _

_"You bore me sometimes," Kyle muttered. I just shot him a deadly look and continued with my speech. _

_"You were using Stygian iron when you tried to kill them on your search for Justin right?" I asked Nico. He nodded slightly. "It didn't kill them did it?" _

_"Obviously," Kyle said. _

_"And when Atlanta tried to kill it with Celestial bronze," (Atlanta was suddenly very interested in our conversation); "it didn't work either." _

_"And?" Nico asked. _

_"I think Egyptian creatures can only be harmed by Egyptian metals, because Kyle managed to kill one with the blades you found in the prison place. It was clearly Egyptian." I smiled victoriously at the looks of confusion and astonishment on everyone's faces. Pride was flowing through me. _

_"We need Egyptian blades then," Theo decided. _

_"Where are those sword things?" Kyle asked. Nico pointed at the fireplace. Sure enough, three hook shaped blades were lying on top of it. Kyle picked them up and tossed one to Theo and Nico. _

_"Sexist little brats," Atlanta muttered. I rolled my eyes at her and turned to Nico. _

_"So when will-" Nico started to say, but he was quickly interrupted by the sound of a roaring engine outside. Brakes screeched and a sudden burst of light exploded through the windows. _

_"He's here," Kyle announced. _

_"Hey Savvy!" a voice from outside called, a voice so bright it had to be my father's. "Are you coming out here or not?" Atlanta snorted. _

_"Savvy?" she asked. I frowned. I can't tell you how much I hated that name. Nico crossed to the window and opened it. _

_"Let's go to Olympus," he said, jumping out the window. Kyle and Atlanta followed closely behind. Theo gave me a smile and ushered me forwards. With slight reluctance, I went through the window before him. _

_The first thing I noticed when I stepped outside was the way Atlanta was staring at my Dad. I held back the disgust I felt. Nico was staring with distant longing at Dad's sun chariot, currently in the form of a Porsche. _

_"Nico!" Dad greeted, "You've grown since I saw you last!" _

_"I was ten," Nico said, "Did you expect me not to grow?" Dad didn't know how to react. _

_"Can we get to Olympus quickly?" I asked, "We have something really urgent to tell Zeus." _

_"Well Zeus is out," Dad said, "I could take you back to camp." _

_"No!" Nico interrupted, "We know Zeus is gone. We know where he went." Dad raised an eyebrow. _

_"Who do you expect to tell this important news to now? You shouldn't even know Zeus has vanished," he warned. _

_"Listen," Kyle spat, "We need to get to Olympus with important news, now, or you'll be the one suffering." Kyle glared at Dad threateningly. Dad wasn't taking this at all seriously. He chuckled quietly. _

_"You kids." He shook his head. _

_"We're serious!" I whined. _

_"And I'm Kronos," Dad joked. He wasn't going to take us seriously. "Get in the car and I'll take you to camp, you can sort something out there." I was getting pretty desperate. _

_"Dad," I started my voice pleading, "I'm not kidding. I watched Hades get his soul stolen." Nico tensed as I said that, he still hadn't settled, I had a feeling he never would. Dad crinkled his brow. _

_"How would you recognise the ritual?" he inquired. _

_"Well unless 'I release your soul from you' is not something said in the process of stealing a soul, I have no idea what is." I was getting rather irritated with my father's stubbornness. Dad's eyes opened in shock. _

_"I'll take you to Olympus," he decided, "Get in the car. You clearly have something to tell." He flipped a remote out of his pocket and unlocked the car with a "blip blip". He pushed another button and the car stretched out, gaining another two seats, and giving the car three sets of doors. _

_"Let's go!" Kyle called, sprinting into the Porsche and climbing into a back seat. Nico followed his lead. Atlanta took shot-gun, and Theo and I were left to take the middle two seats. _

_I probably would've enjoyed riding in a Porsche if I hadn't been a thousand feet high and I hadn't had a thousand crazy things happen to me. I sat in the elongated car next to Theo, the only sound the purr of the engine. The silence made nerves jump around inside me. I may have had some influence over my father, but trying to tell the other gods the Egyptians were back was way out of my league. Hestia had warned me I was an important role in things to come, that didn't comfort me either. _

_I slipped the pouch Hestia had given me out of my pocket. I really couldn't see why I had to leave it sewn shut. I really wanted to open it, there had to be something about it, but a part of me knew catastrophe would occur afterwards. I had no idea why I thought that, but I did. I flipped the pouch over in my hand; it was so useless its leather was peeling. Who did Hestia honestly expect me to give this to? If she couldn't deliver it to the person herself, why was I the one who had to? Who would want an empty pouch anyway? _

_I raised my head and looked ahead again. Everyone in the car looked anxious, even Apollo. Nico was frowning at his hand, a sure sign anger was quietly burning inside him; Kyle was gazing out the window, which was extremely abnormal for Kyle; Atlanta was drumming her fingers on the dashboard, and Theo... He was asleep. His eyes were closed, his face was squashed against the window, and his mouth hung open in a perfect O. It seemed rather amusing that Theo was asleep at a moment like this. Maybe Atlanta hadn't taken second watch, and he'd been up all night, or maybe he knew it'd be the best chance to sleep in a long while. I had no idea, and my wondering distracted me, which was good for my quaking nerves. _

_Finally Dad announced we were approaching Olympus, it'd be the first time I hadn't used the elevator to access the place. Being a god must've been great. The Porsche started veering steeply downwards, freaking Atlanta out (the look on her face was priceless!) and making Theo jump to life. I heard the brakes squeal, though we were still very clearly in the air. I clenched my fists, awaiting impact. _

_The car lurched forwards and came to a sudden skidding halt. I jolted forward on impact and hit my head against the back of the chair in front of me. With pain throbbing in my skull, I sat back up. Only Dad wasn't frazzled by the stop. _

_"Ow," I groaned, rubbing my forehead. _

_"Well," Dad started, "We're here. Get out and I'll go see if anyone has time to talk to you." _

_"Don't you?" Kyle asked. _

_"No, I have to talk to old Fish Face. Demeter will probably want to see her son though, maybe even Hephaestus if you're lucky. No one has the time to talk to people at the moment." Dad opened his door and got out. The rest of us followed suit. I watched my father walk away. _

_Everyone turned to Theo. _

_"Where's your mum?" Nico asked. Theo shrugged. _

_"Why don't we just storm into the Olympian council and tell them that way?" Kyle suggested. _

_"Brilliant idea," Atlanta agreed. _

_"If you want every god and goddess to hate you," I mumbled. _

_"Well do you have any better ideas?" Kyle asked._

_"No, but getting the gods to hate us is stupid!" _

_"Getting the gods to hate us is better than knowing we left them to the hands of Fate," Nico said, "It can be their choice if they believe us or not. We know we tried." The bitter tone in his voice only increased the seriousness of the situation. _

_"If we lose the gods' favour we're doomed," I argued, there was no way any of the gods would listen to us. Our cause was pointless. _

_"If the gods don't find out about the Egyptians, we're doomed," Nico fired back; "There are some risks we have to take." _

_"You're both right," Theo contributed, "We need to go into the throne room to get their attention, but we can't shove what we know down their throats. We just need a backup plan." _

_"Well we don't have one," Kyle said, "And I don't think we're going to find one any time soon. I'm heading down." And with that, Kyle spun on his hoof and started trotting towards the centre of Mt Olympus. _

_If you've ever been on Mt Olympus before, you would understand what I mean when I say it's magnificent. The whole place was suspended in midair by an unseen force. Tiled paths led in every possible direction, connecting every monument and every building. Columned temples littered the whole place, along with a couple of mansions. Intricate, marble statues and fountains dotted the landscape, along with beautiful flowering trees of every colour imaginable. The whole scene was so rich, so powerful, so breath-taking, and so peaceful. Absolutely amazing, that's what Olympus is. _

_We headed towards the building in the centre of the city. It was by far the biggest and grandest of the temples. It was also rather intimidating; it seemed to contain a large amount of power, invoking a sense of foreboding in my mind. _

_We approached the giant doors, the only thing between us and the Olympian, the only thing leaving us with a chance to give up on our futile task. No backup plan had been invented. No words were spoken. I could feel the nervousness of the people around me. _

_Kyle was once again nominated to knock. He knocked on the doors thrice, before opening them for himself. The oaken doors creaked loudly as Kyle opened them. Everything seemed quiet, but of course, it wasn't. _

_As the doors opened, I noticed eight sets of eyes resting on us. They were waiting. Amongst the hundreds of thrones in the room, only eight were occupied, Hera's, Ares's, Hephaestus's, Hermes's, Aphrodite's, Artemis's, Poseidon's, and Athena's. None of their eyes looked friendly. Their gaze was threatening, we needed a good reason to be there, and manage to get them to believe it. I stepped back a bit; I didn't enjoy the pressure pulsing wildly in my veins. Atlanta looked at her own mother with sadness. Kyle's eyes were full of confusion. Theo's hands were shaking slightly. Nico had determined fire in his eyes. That kid was mad. _

_"What do you want demigods?" Poseidon inquired, "You haven't organised an audience, or even alerted us of you arrival." _

_"We need to tell you something," Nico answered. _

_"We were in the middle of an extremely important discussion," Athena said, "We should probably kill you here and now. You'll need a very good reason if you wish to live." _

_"We have a reason," Nico growled, "We've discovered something since the attack on camp." _

_"When you should've been helping the wounded," Hermes added, "One of my daughters died because of a lack of healers." He was glaring at me. Regret burned inside me. I felt weight drop onto my shoulders, crushing my soul. Had it really been my fault his daughter had died? _

_"The Egyptians are back," Nico said, with a dangerous tone. _

_"They're not real," Ares barked, "I know. I would've had millions of wars with their gods by now if they were real. They're myths to myths." _

_"Poseidon knows," Nico added his voice unchanging. Athena raised an eyebrow at Poseidon. Hera glared at him. Poseidon shifted his position in his throne. _

_"Lies," he spat. _

_"You agreed with my father when he said they'd returned!" Nico stormed. _

_"I was merely-" _

_"Saying that so Hades wouldn't claim the birthright and threaten to take a free kingdom from you?" Kyle asked. Poseidon frowned at Kyle. _

_"I would never do such a thing," he said. _

_"Well you did," Nico growled, "You told Hades you believed him. Now you deny it." The volume was rising. _

_"I never uttered such words! I never heard this theory! You're the one seeking power." _

_"What good would seeking power in a room full of Olympians do for him?" Atlanta questioned. _

_"A lot," Poseidon responded, "Now get out before we lose our patience." _

_"Why don't you take this seriously?" Nico stormed, "Zeus vanishes for no reason and you pay it little attention! Now Hades is gone and you stubborn idiots don't even notice! Persephone's probably gone too! You could just as easily be next." _

_"Is that a threat?" Ares asked, "Are you saying that you're the one leading our enemies?" _

_"My father is gone!" Nico yelled, "My mother was taken from me! My sister was taken from me! What makes you think I'd want my last remaining family to go?" _

_"There's a lot in you that suggest you would do something like that," Hera said. Nico looked furious. _

_"You're all heartless!" he yelled, "You're all self-scented! You only live for yourself. The world was probably just as good with the titans ruling!" _

_"He's working for the enemy," Hermes concluded, looking quite angry. _

_"Get out of this room now!" Poseidon ordered, "You have no right to intrude, and less to speak that way to us. Get out before I decide to destroy you." His gaze was locked on Nico. I felt so bad for Nico. He'd lost everything, even the little allegiance he'd had with the Olympians. He probably would've killed himself had he lacked his burning desire for revenge. That made me really sad also. He was determined to avenge his family so badly. He would risk his own life more than was necessary for the cause. _

_Nico gave each of the Olympians a final menacing look, before he departed from the room. Poseidon's angry eyes locked on Atlanta and Kyle, making them shrink behind me and out of the room. Poseidon turned to me. I was shaking now. _

_"I'm sorry," I tried to say, but I was whimpering. _

_"My apologies Lord Poseidon," Theo addressed, bowing slightly. The look on Poseidon's face change dramatically. He clearly liked the title he'd been given. _

_"We came for a different cause," Theo lied, pointing to me briefly, "I was wounded in the bombings at camp, and I lost my legs. I wouldn't be walking if it wasn't for the work Hephaestus's children put in for me. I felt compelled to express my personal thanks to Hephaestus, with a gift." Hephaestus sat up straighter, suddenly seeming interested in what was going on. Theo continued speaking. _

_"Would you accept it?" he asked, bowing again. _

_"I suppose," Hephaestus grunted. _

_"I'd hate to interrupt your discussions though," Theo continued, addressing Poseidon, "So I'd like give Hephaestus my gift outside." I was astounded. Never before had I heard a teenage guy talk to someone with such respect. His flattery seemed forced, but the gods didn't seem to mind. Theo smiled at Hephaestus kindly. Hephaestus got to his feet. _

_"I'll be back," he told the Olympians. _

_"Thank you," Theo finished with yet another bow. I just stood there in confusion looking stupid. Theo guided me back through the doors. _

_When the doors slammed shut again, Theo pulled the Egyptian blade from a belt he was wearing. The blade was wrapped in Theo's jacket, but the shape of the jacket made it obvious to what was concealed. Theo knelt and bowed to Hephaestus, I followed his lead. Theo raised his hands, holding the sword in front of Hephaestus. _

_"Thank you," Theo said, "I can't tell you how much your children have helped me. Please accept my gift." I raised my head and waited. _

_After a moment's hesitation, Hephaestus took the blade from Theo and took the jacket off it. Hephaestus's eyes widened in shock. Theo looked up at the god. _

_"What blade is it?" he asked Hephaestus. _

_"A kopesh," Hephaestus muttered, "I've seen many in my time, but none of this quality, or material." _

_"What metal is it?" Theo inquired, "Please, we need someone to know. We need someone to believe us." Hephaestus stared down at the kopesh. _

_"It's bronze," he answered, "Not Celestial, but not mortal. I've never seen this metal. I believe it's called 'Bronze of the Duat'. Purely Egyptian. Couldn't harm anything with Greek blood in it." _

_"Tell the others," Theo pleaded, "They're expanding faster than you know." Theo's face became solemn. "And we have no idea what they plan to do." _

**Ooh... dramatic. So, who liked that chapter? Any guesses to why Hestia wishes for the pouch to stay closed? Review and the answer will come. If I once again get but one review (you don't know how much your reviews mean to me Lemariz!) this story will unfortunately be going on hold. I've got the plot all sorted (mwah ha ha) and I hope you'll read when it comes around. REVIEW!**

**Also I have another good Nico story going called "Reversing Lives" if you could read that, that's be cool. **


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